T A Chase Freaks in love

REAKS

OVE

…James kept their bodies rocking against each other, their pre-

cum leaving wet trails over their stomachs. He didn’t want Magpie to
start thinking.

After pulling away his fingers, he slid them down the man’s

crease, pressing them against the puckered opening, slipping in just the
tips. Magpie’s back arched and he moaned. James kept his fingers still,
letting Magpie decided when to take them in farther. He couldn’t stop
the groan when Magpie pushed back and his fingers went as deep as
they could go. He rubbed his knuckles over Magpie’s gland and the
man cried out.

While Magpie rode his fingers, he tasted the slender throat bared

above him. Salt burst over his tongue. God, he’d forgotten how much
he loved that taste, almost as much as the taste of cum. He scissored
his fingers, stretching and making sure Magpie would be loose enough
to accept his cock. He wasn’t going to stop without fucking the man
and, by the way Magpie was groaning, he didn’t think Magpie would
put a halt to their lovemaking.

He spit in his hand and slicked up his cock. Magpie’s movements

were getting jerky. He could tell climax was close, but he wanted to be
inside that tight ass when it happened.

“No,” Magpie protested when James pulled his fingers out of him.
He lined up the head of his cock with Magpie’s hole. “Push back,”

he demanded.

Magpie hissed as the cock’s head breeched his opening, but he

bore down. James didn’t move. He’d let Magpie take him in before he
started thrusting. Soon he was buried balls deep in the man’s ass, and
they both groaned.

“Move,” Magpie begged.
That was the command he’d been waiting for…

LSO

T. A. C

HASE

Allergies

Bitter Creek’s Redemption

Nick Of Time

Nowhere Diner: Finding Love

Soothe The Burn

FREAKS IN LOVE

T. A. CHASE

MBER

UILL

RESS

, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

REAKS

OVE

MBER

UILL

RESS

OOK

This book is a work of fiction.

All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the

author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales,

or events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

No portion of this book may be transmitted or

reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in

writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief

excerpts used for the purposes of review.

ISBN 978-1-60272-657-4

Layout and Formatting provided by: Elemental Alchemy

PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Thank you to my marvelous editor and my

totally awesome beta reader. You’re the reason my stories

shine so bright. As always, C, the love of my life.

Without you, the world wouldn’t be nearly as beautiful.

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 1

The lights flashed on in Triad City, blinking like fireflies

braving the heavy black night. As he stared out of the window,
James’ nerves jumped. The meeting wasn’t a good idea. Too many
opportunities for trouble, but it wasn’t his job to think about the
possibilities. He dealt with the trouble once it started.

“James, come here.” His boss waved him over.
The others would be arriving soon. He could feel the approach

of Kilkenny, the head of the East Side Association. His bodyguard,
the man called Magpie, would be escorting the East boss. Magpie
was a slender, cold-hearted killer.

James kept his smile to himself. Even though they worked for

rival crime associations, he enjoyed the other man’s company.
They had met a few times over the three years James had worked

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for Valpraiso.

He settled in his usual spot at the right shoulder of Peter

Valpraiso, head of the West Side Association.

“Kilkenny will be here soon,” one of Valpraiso’s goons told the

old man.

James could have told them that the East Side group was at the

door, but he didn’t. No reason to make them wonder how he knew.

The twisted white scar bisecting his entire neck started to burn.

He fought back the urge to grab the old man and drag him from the
room. Every survival instinct fired off that something bad was
going to happen, and he wouldn’t be able to stop it. He could only
hope to minimize the damage. Thank the night, he couldn’t sweat
because of jittery nerves. James didn’t need anyone getting
suspicious.

Everyone heard Magpie before Kilkenny walked through the

door.

“This is a fucking bad idea, boss. Anyone with a grudge can

kill all of you without even trying.” Magpie gestured wildly as he
preceded his boss into the room.

While it might have looked like the bodyguard wasn’t paying

any attention to the other men in the room, James knew Magpie
had fixed everyone’s position in his mind one step into the meeting
place. He had a feeling the slender man used his incessant chatter
to distract people. It worked most of the time.

Valpraiso grimaced and shot a relieved look at James. He knew

it was because he didn’t talk at all, so the old man didn’t have to
worry about listening to him. He scanned the men as they filed in.
The usual armaments were present. Guns and knives hid in
strategic places on all the bodies in the room. No one went
unarmed in the city anymore, especially after dark.

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Magpie’s bright black eyes found him, and he saw the man’s

right eyelid droop in a slight wink. He moved his head in
acknowledgment. It wouldn’t pay to make the rest of Valpraiso’s
men think he was fraternizing with the enemy. They were already
jealous of the amount of autonomy he received from the old man.

As Kilkenny and his men were getting situated on the opposite

side of the room, Luize and the rest of the South Side Association
showed up. Dread shot through James as the door shut behind the
last man. The time had come, and he feared what was going to
happen.

“All right, Kilkenny, you called this meeting. What’d you

want?” Valpraiso glared at the East Side boss.

The man frowned and gestured to Luize. “South Side called it.”
James started to inch closer to the old man. Things weren’t

right, and the trap would be sprung soon. He just hoped he could
do his job without being injured or losing Valpraiso. He noticed
Magpie moving closer to his boss as well. So, the other man sensed
the same tension. James touched the tip of his tongue to his lips
and hoped no one noticed. Drawing his tongue back behind his
teeth, he issued a silent hiss.

The danger was in the room, but without revealing too many of

his secrets, he couldn’t get a lock on where it was. A soft whirr
sounded. Before he could move, a dart appeared in Valpraiso’s
neck. At the same time, darts hit Luize and Kilkenny.

As the lights went out and the bullets started flying, James

caught the glow of red eyes in a corner. Shit. Had the uprising
begun? Did they really believe they’d get away with this? With no
warning issued, he had no chance of leaving the city before it
started. Anger burned in him, but living through the attack would
have to be enough revenge for him.

FREAKS IN LOVE

James threw himself to the floor. With darkness covering him,

he used his senses to make his way through the bodies. His hands
slipped through pools of blood as he wound a path among the
dead. He fought the urge to wipe his hands on one of the dead
man’s clothes.

The bullets stopped firing, and he settled flat to the floor. He

tested the air and found only injured or dead people in the room
with him. The killers had left. The lights shot on and burned his
eyes for a moment.

A voice cut through the silence. “Shit. Damn. Mother-fucking

bastards. What the hell is this shit? I told him not to come. I told
him this was a bad idea. No one ever listens to me. Fuck. Bastards.
This fucking hurts.”

He turned to find Magpie a few feet from him. The slender man

leaned against the wall, hand pressed to his stomach. Blood
dripped around his fingers. James wet his lips again and dragged
the scents back into his mouth. Metallic and warm. Magpie would
die if James didn’t do something. There was only one place James
could go and it was the one place he didn’t want to return to.

After standing up, he went over to Magpie. Those glittering

black eyes weren’t sparkling anymore. They were dull with pain
and anger. Without warning, James bent over and scooped the
other man over his shoulder.

“Shit. Damn, man, what the hell are you doing?” Magpie’s

voice was faint.

James hoped he’d pass out soon. He didn’t want to have to

knock the man unconscious. Heading out of the room, he heard
Valpraiso’s second-in-command call out to him.

“Hey, you big, bald freak, get the hell back here.”
He kept a tight grip on Magpie’s legs. Wet heat bathed his

FREAKS IN LOVE

shoulder and he had to move quickly. He looked down at Peter
Valpraiso, the only man in the city who knew what he really was.
A fanatic light burned in the old man’s glazed eyes.

“His contract was just with me. He’s free to go now.” Peter

Valpraiso nodded at him.

He nodded back and turned to leave.
“Wait. James,” the old man’s voice called him to look back.

“Get the hell out of the city.”

James walked away from the new life he’d been trying to build.

He headed out into the alleys of the city, avoiding the police as
they started to arrive. Slowly, he made his way toward the North
Side. He had to get on the other side of the wall before morning.

* * *

“Fuck…” Magpie groaned. His blood poured out of him by the

bucketful, and all he could do was watch a tight ass and long legs
carry him somewhere.

The tall man’s hands stroked over his back with a gentle touch

like he was trying to soothe Magpie. Oddly enough, even though
the pain stampeded along his nerves like a herd of cattle, a strange
flicker danced along his spine. Great. Now is not the fucking time
to get a fucking hard-on for some guy.

His world spun around when they stopped and the big guy set

him down on the pavement. Leaning against a crumbling brick
wall, he looked up at the man who’d carted him away from the
bloodbath. James stood an easy six-seven and was built like a brick
shit house. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him anywhere that
Magpie could find…and he’d looked. A lot of the thugs who
worked for the crime associations feared the big man. Of course,

FREAKS IN LOVE

being as bald as a cue ball without a strand of hair anywhere
weirded out the others. Of course, the odd geometric tattoos
covering all of James’ skin might do that as well.

Magpie always caught himself wondering if James was bald

everywhere. It would have been fun to find out, but he’d never
wanted to risk their lives by trying. He coughed and his hand was
slick with his own blood. Guess he’d never find out.

He flinched when James put his hand on his head. Yellow eyes

stared down at him, but he could tell James wasn’t seeing him. It
appeared that the big man was listening to something.

Pain shot through his chest and he cried out, “Fuck, I should’ve

said no to that stupid prick. I didn’t need the fucking money.
Goddamn. This hurts. First time I’ve ever gotten shot and no way
will this ever happen to me again.” He babbled. He could run off at
the mouth or sit and cry. He didn’t think James would stick around
if he burst into tears. “So are you hairless everywhere?”

Without eyebrows to help express it, he was hard pressed to tell

if his question surprised James. If he hadn’t been bleeding out all
over the ground, he’d be embarrassed as hell. Shrugging, he found
he didn’t give a flying fuck if James thought the question was rude.
Of course, the man wouldn’t answer him. He’d never heard James
utter a sound in the three years they’d known each other.

Nodding, James somehow managed to make his eyes smile.

Magpie got lost in the golden glitter of the man’s eyes. A groan
forced its way from his throat. He didn’t really need to know that.
Well, at least, he could spend his last few moments fantasizing
about the huge package he was sure James would be carrying and
the fact it was as naked as the rest of the man’s body.

He bit his tongue to keep from sobbing. The pain was getting

worse, yet his hands and feet were freezing. “I think I’m fucking

FREAKS IN LOVE

dying, James.”

James frowned and shook his head.
“There’s no fucking way anyone could survive with all the

blood I’ve lost. Damn it. My mother always said I’d die young. I
just didn’t think she was a fucking oracle, you know.” A harsh cry
ripped from him.

James hissed at him, causing him to blink in surprise. Everyone

knew Valpraiso’s bodyguard didn’t talk. The scar encircling his
neck had cut his vocal cords, making it impossible for the man to
make any sound. Yet James hissed at him again.

“Hey, you can talk. Why haven’t you ever said anything?

Doing the ‘it’s better to be seen than heard’ thing?” Copper
bloomed in his mouth and Magpie spit out a glob of blood.

James’ head tilted to the left and a big finger lay gently against

Magpie’s mouth. He realized the man wanted him to be quiet. He
managed to keep silent for a few seconds, then the pain swelled
and burst through him like waves on the beach. His whimpers got
louder until he was screaming.

His vision blurred as James lifted his blood-covered wrist to his

mouth. It had to be the blood loss causing hallucinations. James
opened his mouth and the man’s tongue flicked out, tasting his
skin. Then the big man smiled and fangs came into view. He didn’t
have the strength to struggle as James sank those white gleaming
fangs into his wrist.

“Rest.” A sibilant whisper slid over his ears after James set his

wrist back down.

“What the fuck are you?” he mumbled.
“Snake.” Those cold yellow eyes turned from him and looked

off into the darkness.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” He could barely say the

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words. His energy had run out and this was where he’d die. In an
alley, gut shot with some mutant freak the only living contact to
see his soul to the other side.

“We’re going to the North Side.” James’ voice was harsh and

deep. Each word sounded like he struggled to force them from his
mouth.

“Thank God I’ll be dead before I get on the other side of the

wall,” he muttered to himself as his vision darkened even more.

“Don’t count on God or death to save you.”
Yellow eyes burning with a strange glow were the last things

he saw before his mind succumbed to pain and fear.

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 2

James stared down at the silent man and shook his head. He’d

given Magpie enough venom to him out and, hopefully, slow the
blood a little. He searched the night to sense if anyone followed
them. The usual night noises met his ears. If the crime associations
sent people after him, they were looking elsewhere. They would
never believe he’d try to cross the wall into the North Side.

No one went to the North Side anymore. James looked up at

the large titanium wall in front of him. It took a generation after the
bombs fell and the war ended for the effects of the nuclear fall-out
to show up. The people of the city got scared of the Freaks as they
called the radiation victims, so the Associations rounded them all
up and shoved them in the North Side ruins before building a huge
titanium wall to shut them in. There was only one official entrance

FREAKS IN LOVE

in and out of North Side, but that wasn’t where James was.

He’d left North Side when he was eighteen, planning never to

go back to that hell on earth. A gasping breath reminded him why
he was about to break the only promise he’d ever made himself.
Reaching out, he ran his hand over the metal, finding a slight dip in
the panel with his fingers. He pushed on it and stepped back.

This time, instead of flinging Magpie over his shoulder, he

cradled the slender man in his arms. He dragged a fresh breath of
air into his lungs and squared his shoulders. James would be gone
the moment he stepped through the opening and Snake would take
his place. An attack didn’t worry him. In North Side, he had been
one of the most dangerous creatures there, and the other Freaks
feared him. James doubted his reputation had suffered since he’d
left. He worried about losing the most vital piece of himself, his
soul. The panel slid aside and he walked through, trying to keep a
firm grip on his humanity and the man in his arms.

* * *

“Why have you come back, Snake? I thought you said you

were gone for good.”

It had taken James an hour to get to Tilda’s apartment in Freak

Town. James glanced up at the tall black woman standing beside
him. He dropped his gaze back to Magpie, who lay quietly on the
single bed. “I didn’t have a choice. He needed your help.”

“He isn’t one of us. He’s an NF, and I’m not sure I should be

helping him.” She strolled over to where a cigarette rested in an
ashtray. The thin trail of smoke wafted toward the open window.

Non-Freak. Freak. The labels separated them. The words made

them fear each other. James understood why people needed to

FREAKS IN LOVE

label each other and segregate those different from themselves. He
just didn’t believe it was right. Sighing, he got up and moved to the
window, staring down at the weed-covered streets.

“You’re under an obligation.” He didn’t want to force Tilda to

help Magpie. He wanted her to do it because it was the right thing
to do. He frowned. Why couldn’t he be as cold as his namesake
could?

“What obligation is that? Our friendship?” She laughed. “I

don’t think that’ll fly, Snake.”

“No. We aren’t friends, Tilda. Your healer’s oath forces you to

help any who needs it; Freak or NF.” He leaned against the
windowsill, ignoring the movement behind him.

“Shit. I should never have told you about that stupid oath.”

Tilda’s hand caressed his shoulder. “I’ll help him if you fuck me,
Snake.”

Disgust rushed through him, but he didn’t allow it to show on

his face. He knew the kind of fucking she wanted. It involved
blood, pain and humiliation. He wouldn’t participate in that.

“No. Help him because you have to. I won’t give you what you

want, Tilda. Go find another Freak to fuck you.”

He glared as she snarled at him. Hissing back, he knew his was

a far more frightening expression. His fangs were on display and
he could taste the sour tang of his venom. Tilda squeaked and
raced away from him.

“Damn. They should’ve killed your freak ass when you were

born.” She knelt down beside Magpie and reached out a hand to
lay it on his stomach.

“They tried. It didn’t take.” He ran his fingers over the scar on

his throat. “When you’re done healing him, you’re going to tell me
what you know about the murders.”

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“What makes you think I’ll do that?” She shot him a poisonous

look over her shoulder.

“Kill you if you don’t. You’re not ready to die yet.” He leaned

against the wall and watched her do her magic.

Wide-eyed, she turned away from him. She knew he meant

what he said. He’d never said anything he didn’t mean. The one
thing anyone could trust about him was his honesty. For good or
bad, Snake would tell the truth even while he killed.

* * *

Magpie’s mind swam through fog, trying to reach the surface.

There was noise in the background like voices mumbling, but he
couldn’t get his ears to work. His hands and feet weren’t cold
anymore, so either he was dead and in hell or someone had saved
his sorry ass. No way was he lucky enough for either to happen.

His hand twitched and he moved it to his stomach. Instead of a

wet gaping wound, he touched skin with a jagged line tracing over
it. What the hell? He shot upright and jerked the blankets covering
him off. A patch of smooth white skin marred by a pink scar had
appeared where the bullet had torn a huge hole in his body. The
voices he’d heard when he woke were quiet.

Looking up, he saw James standing near a window with his

hand wrapped around some strange woman’s throat. Her feet
dangled a few inches off the floor, and tears streamed down her
cheeks. Her eyes skated over to him, and he saw the fear in them.
Her lips curled in a contemptuous sneer.

“Your NF buddy is awake, Snake.” She managed to nod toward

him.

Snake? What the fuck kind of twisted name is that? James’ head

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swung around to stare at him, and Magpie’s mouth dropped open
in a horrified gasp. It hadn’t been a dying hallucination after all.
James had fangs and it looked like he’d been about to sink them
into the woman. Magpie shut his eyes and shook his head. It all
had to be a fucking weird-ass dream. No way would any of the
crime associations work with a Freak.

Hearing a thud, his eyes popped open to find James stalking

toward him and the woman lying in a heap in the corner. Every
atom in his body wanted to curl up and hide from the stranger
moving closer to him, but a little voice in his head told him he
didn’t have to worry about James. This huge man with dripping
fangs wouldn’t hurt him.

“It wasn’t a fucking dream, was it?” Holding up his wrist, he

searched for fang marks. He remembered James biting him.

James shook his head. The big man knelt beside the bed and

placed a cool hand on Magpie’s stomach. Gasping, he felt his cock
twitch. Shit, he was as naked as the day he’d been born. He
scrambled to find the blanket without taking his gaze off James. He
flinched away as James reached across his body to pull the covers
over him.

“Why the hell did you bite me, you fucking bastard? It wasn’t

fucking bad enough that my blood poured out of me like water
from a freaking faucet. No, you had to do this weird thing with
your tongue and then you bit me.” He slugged a hard shoulder and
grimaced as pain rocketed up his arm. “Shit. I think I broke my
fucking hand and what the fuck is up with your skin? When did
you get scales?”

His body gave out then and he fell over. James caught him with

a firm arm around the shoulders. He couldn’t help but let his
forehead rest against that chest. He hated being weak. James

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tucked a pillow behind his back to help him sit up. He leaned back
with a sigh.

“You can talk. I heard you right before I passed out. Why

aren’t you bloody talking now? Is it because I’m awake and might
actually have something to say to you? What the fuck went down
last night?” Pausing, he thought for a moment. “It was last night,
wasn’t it? I haven’t been out of it longer than that, have I?”

“Snake doesn’t talk unless he’s threatening someone. Takes

more energy to talk to a person than to kill them,” the woman said
from where she sat on the floor. “Besides he’s a Freak. Why’d you
want to talk to him anyway?”

James didn’t look at her, and Magpie wondered if the man was

going to ignore everything they both said. He watched as James
traced the scar on his neck with thick fingers. He looked up at
James’ face in time to see the tip of his tongue slip out between full
lips, then slide back in. He shivered as an image of a snake tasting
its surroundings ran through his mind.

To combat his fear, he growled out, “Am I not fucking good

enough to talk to? Do you not talk to NFs? Why the hell didn’t you
fucking leave me behind?”

Before James could answer, the woman stood up. “I’m outta

here, Snake. He’s your problem to deal with now. Don’t bother me
again with NFs. You should’ve just let him die because if Simian
finds out he’s here, he’ll try to kill him. You know the rules here
on the North Side.”

Magpie stayed silent this time. He didn’t know what she was

talking about, but he had a feeling he was in danger still and it was
going to come from someone other than the man in the room with
him. James reached over to a chair where a black suit coat hung.
Magpie realized it was the one the big man had been wearing the

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night before. The entire right shoulder had a dark stain running
down it. A sick feeling arose in his stomach when he figured out
that his blood made that stain. A pile of coins exchanged hands as
James gave the woman some money before gesturing for her to
leave.

“Where the hell did you get all that black market money? What

about the bosses? Did they make it? Did I fucking screw my
contract up?” Magpie closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

James rose to his feet and moved to stare out the window. The

silence drove Magpie crazy. He didn’t take quiet well. He looked
around for something to throw at the bald man. Finding some
paper resting on the table next to the bed, he wadded it up and
threw it. It bounced off James’ head and landed in a corner. James
turned and gave him an annoyed glare.

“Hey, buddy, I’m still here. Don’t have enough energy to move

yet. Don’t ever fucking ignore me. It drives me damn crazy when
people act like I don’t exist. Say something, you stupid fucker.”
The anger made Magpie feel good, like he wasn’t nearly as
helpless as he knew he really was.

Again, those fingers touched the scar and James frowned. “It

hurts less to kill than to talk.”

Magpie winced at the sibilant sound of James’ voice. He

sounds like a snake.

“Okay. I understand that, but you need to tell me what’s going

on.” He waved a hand to his stomach. “How come I’m not dead?”
He could be civil at times, especially when it would gain him some
information.

“Tilda’s a healer. Her oath demands that she helps anyone who

needs it.” James studied the floor under the bed.

“A healer? What the fuck is that?” Magpie ran his hand over

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his stomach again.

“Magic.” James shrugged. “Her mother had it before the

bombs. It’s been in her family for generations, I guess.”

Magpie’s brain could only process so much, so he was willing

to let that go until he was ready to deal with it. He was alive and,
except for being about as energetic as an overcooked noodle, he
couldn’t complain.

“What happened back at the meeting?” He tried to remember,

but there was a blank space in his memory.

“The Trinity is dead.” An odd look of sadness came and went

in James’ eyes.

“No shit? Damn, Kilkenny hadn’t paid me for my last month of

work. Guess I’ll never see that money.” Magpie didn’t know what
to think or feel. He didn’t enjoy working for the Associations, but
they ran the city. It was work for them or leave the place he was
born and find somewhere else to live. Even though it’d been a
generation since the war, the country hadn’t been able to rebuild
every city or town. Only three major cities still existed, and he
wasn’t sure he wanted to try and establish himself in a different
place.

“The bosses went down first, and they killed several of the

other guys. I grabbed you and headed here.” The words came a
little easier and faster now.

“Who the fuck did it, James? Why would they want to kill the

Trinity?” Magpie shook his head. The Trinity. The three heads of
the crime associations. They might have had all the power, the
money and been as vicious as rabid pit bulls, but they were getting
the Non-Freaks back on their feet finally.

“Some Freak.” James turned to face him. A look of fury

contorted the man’s mouth. “The uprising’s beginning and they

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chose not to warn me.”

Crack. A spiral of blood blossomed from James’ shoulder, and

the big man went down. Shit. Magpie threw his body off the bed
and dragged his weak ass over to where James lay.

“Don’t do this to me, fucker. I need you alive.” He pressed his

hand to the bubbling wound. “Goddamn. Bloody bastards can’t
even give a guy a chance to recover before you shoot someone else
in the back. You fucking cowards,” he muttered as fear swelled in
him.

An uprising? What the hell had James meant by that? Why

would someone shoot this man? Shit. His world had gone to hell in
the length of a night.

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CHAPTER 3

“Don’t you die on me, you fucking Freak. I really don’t need

this shit right now.”

Magpie leaned as close to James’ face as he could get.
“You better not die this way. I want to be the one who fucking

kills you, big bastard. Dragging my fucking ass to this goddamn
piece of shit place and then dying on me. I’ll follow your bald ass
to hell to fuck you up again if you die.”

His hands started to tingle, but he figured it was the pressure

with which he tried to stem James’ wound. He glanced around the
room, searching for something to use as a bandage.

“Fuck. Shit.” He cringed inside. When stressed, his language

always slid back into the words of the streets where he’d grown up.
The words he’d tried so hard to erase from his vocabulary.

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“Foul-mouthed street urchin. Get off me.” James’ hissed words

startled him.

“Fuck.” He fell back when James sat up and glared at him. His

shaking hands reached out and touched the shoulder where the
wound had been. “What the shit just happened? Why aren’t you
bleeding anymore?”

“Tilda screwed us.” James took his hands and did that weird

tongue thing again.

“Oh no, you don’t. Last time you licked my fucking arm, you

bloody bit me, asshole.” He tried to jerk his wrist free.

James’ grip tightened, and Magpie squeaked. The big man’s

other hand smoothed over Magpie’s stomach, tracing the scar from
his wound. The touch soothed him enough that he let James lick
him. The wet tongue sampled the sweat on his skin before
disappearing back in the man’s mouth.

“Why?” He didn’t know he was going to ask anything until the

word popped out of his mouth.

James tilted his head, asking without words what he meant.
“Why do you do that?” He nodded towards the wet spot on the

sensitive underside of his arm.

“One of the ways I see.” James closed his eyes.
Magpie shook his head slightly. When James stared at him, it

was like those yellow eyes hypnotized him. It had to be the reason
he allowed James to touch him. He’d spent most of his life
avoiding contact with people. There was never a clear reason why,
except for a vague feeling of being dirty or tainted by their touch.

Yet the firm hold James had on his wrist didn’t bother him. In

fact, it reassured him. He buried that emotion deep inside. Almost
dying and then being miraculously healed must have fucked up his
mind. Before this moment, he’d never thought that way about

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anyone. He watched James open his eyes and he caught a brief
glimpse of uneasiness in the man’s eyes.

“Shit. What’s wrong?”

* * *

James stared into Magpie’s wary dark eyes and for the first

time he wanted to lie. He wanted to say nothing was wrong. He
longed to be able to put the slender man on a train leading out of
Triad City and ensure he wouldn’t be harmed. Impossible now.

“She fucked us both.”
Climbing to his feet, he hauled Magpie to his and led him to the

bed.

He pushed the man onto the mattress. As he began to strip off

his clothes, he waited for a protest. None came, so he left his
bloodstained clothes in a pile and joined Magpie in the bed. He
crossed his arms under his head and stared up at the ceiling.

“She fucked us how?”
The bed wasn’t big enough for one person. With two people

sharing…James turned his head and found Magpie pressing his
skinny body against the wall. Reaching out an arm, James pulled
Magpie closer. He rubbed his hand over the smooth back. Not to
soothe the other man, but to help him think.

“Not a healer?” James asked.
Magpie was tense, but with each pass of his hand, Magpie’s

muscles relaxed.

“What?” Magpie sounded tired.
James tried again. “You’re not a healer?”
A burst of hot air washed over his collarbone when Magpie

snorted. “No. I’m not a Freak.”

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Disappointment ran through James. “Healers aren’t Freaks.”

He swallowed. “They were around before the war.”

“I’ve never seen a healer. Don’t most of them live in the North

Side?”

“Yes. The Associations herded the ones they couldn’t control

beyond the wall with the rest of us. Stupid really.”

Magpie trailed his fingers over James’ chest. Touching was

strange to James. No one, even when they thought he was a NF,
ever put a hand on him, unless they wanted to hurt him.

“Healers know more than doctors. Can heal more without

medicine or science. Can’t see beyond the fact that they’re
different.”

Magpie’s shoulders moved in a shrug. “They are different. It

isn’t normal to be able to heal a gut wound just by touching a
person.”

Magpie stiffened, and James wondered if the man had realized

what happened a few minutes ago. But what Magpie said next
made him laugh.

“Fuck. Shouldn’t we be running for our lives instead of

cuddling naked in bed?”

James’ laugh was more a bark. It seldom got any use. “Saw me

go down. Figure I’m dead by now. Don’t see you as a threat, so
won’t come to check. They’re too confident in their own abilities.”

Magpie rose up on an elbow and glared at him. “Not a threat?

Don’t they fucking know who I am? I’ve got a bloody reputation.”

“Beyond the wall. Here, there’s a new set of rules. You’re an

NF, cannon fodder, and they don’t fear you.”

“Yet they shot you.” Magpie’s hand grazed the tender skin

where the wound had been. “Why?”

“Play by my own rules. Makes me unpredictable. I have no

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weaknesses. I don’t care for any one. They all fear me.”

Having his own set of rules kept James alive. As an outsider,

the other perceived him as someone better left alone.

“How did Tilda fuck us? Why were you working for

Valpraiso? What the fuck is the uprising? Why the bloody hell
aren’t you dead?” Magpie’s voice rose in volume until he shouted
the last question.

James’ throat hurt. He’d talked more in the last several hours

than he had in the past few years. “Rest. We’ll talk later.”

He cupped the back of Magpie’s head and pushed to encourage

the man to lie back down.

“No. Talk now. What the fuck did I do to you? I’m not a

goddamn healer, James. Shit. I can barely bring myself to touch
people.”

If James didn’t do something, Magpie would keep badgering

him. James didn’t want to talk because he didn’t have any answers.
So he did the one thing he’d been thinking about since meeting the
man three years ago. He kissed him.

Their lips crashed together since James expected Magpie to

protest and used more force than he needed. He tasted metal.
Lifting the other man’s head an inch or so, he realized Magpie’s
bottom lip was bleeding. Far more gently this time, he sucked the
injured flesh into his mouth and bathed it with his tongue. A soft
burst of air bathed his face as Magpie sighed.

He fused their mouths together, while encouraging the slender

man to cover his body. His legs spread, allowing Magpie to fit
between them. Their groans combined when their cocks rubbed
against each other. It had been a long time since he’d touched any
man like that. He cupped Magpie’s ass with his free hand and
rocked the man’s pelvis on his, creating friction for them.

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Keeping his fangs sheathed, he nibbled on Magpie’s plump

lips. Their tongues dueled with teasing strokes and rough thrusts.
He slid his fingers down the crease of Magpie’s ass and tapped
lightly at the man’s hole. A shiver racked the man’s body. He
figured Magpie liked that, so he did it again.

“More,” Magpie whispered against his lips.
James pulled his other hand away from the dark hair he’d

entwined it in and placed his fingers at Magpie’s mouth. Sucking
them in, the slender man began to lick them, making sure they got
good and wet. James kept their bodies rocking against each other,
their pre-cum leaving wet trails over their stomachs. He didn’t
want Magpie to start thinking.

After pulling away his fingers, he slid them down the man’s

crease, pressing them against the puckered opening, slipping in just
the tips. Magpie’s back arched and he moaned. James kept his
fingers still, letting Magpie decided when to take them in farther.
He couldn’t stop the groan when Magpie pushed back and his
fingers went as deep as they could go. He rubbed his knuckles over
Magpie’s gland and the man cried out.

While Magpie rode his fingers, he tasted the slender throat

bared above him. Salt burst over his tongue. God, he’d forgotten
how much he loved that taste, almost as much as the taste of cum.
He scissored his fingers, stretching and making sure Magpie would
be loose enough to accept his cock. He wasn’t going to stop
without fucking the man and, by the way Magpie was groaning, he
didn’t think Magpie would put a halt to their lovemaking.

He spit in his hand and slicked up his cock. Magpie’s

movements were getting jerky. He could tell climax was close, but
he wanted to be inside that tight ass when it happened.

“No,” Magpie protested when James pulled his fingers out of

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him.

He lined up the head of his cock with Magpie’s hole. “Push

back,” he demanded.

Magpie hissed as the cock’s head breeched his opening, but he

bore down. James didn’t move. He’d let Magpie take him in before
he started thrusting. Soon he was buried balls deep in the man’s
ass, and they both groaned.

“Move,” Magpie begged.
That was the command he’d been waiting for. He gripped those

hips and lifted Magpie until his cock was almost out, then slammed
back in. Magpie’s head fell back and the man cried out. It wouldn’t
be long for either of them. His balls drew up and a tingling pooled
in the base of James’ spine. Magpie’s inner muscles tightened
around his cock.

“Touch yourself.” His voice was no more than a growl.
Magpie’s hand gripped the long cock and pumped in time with

James’ thrusts. A few seconds later, Magpie’s thighs tensed and his
ass clamped down on James’ cock, milking James’ climax from
him at the same time as Magpie’s swept through him. Cum
covered his chest and stomach along with Magpie’s hand. The
other man collapsed on him and he held him close, stroking the
soft skin. He waited until Magpie’s breathing evened out.

“Good,” Magpie murmured, nuzzling into James’ chest.
James smiled. It was good. Magpie whimpered as James pulled

out and climbed out of bed. He brushed his hand over the man’s
dark curls. He padded into the bathroom, found a washcloth and
wet it. He cleaned up before going to clean his bed partner off as
well.

“Thank you.” The words were soft, muffled by the pillow

Magpie had buried his face into.

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“Welcome.” James tossed the cloth in the general direction of

the bathroom and climbed back into bed.

Magpie wiggled close again and drifted to sleep, and James

kept vigil through the night. He knew he had to prepare himself for
the fact Magpie would probably flip out in the morning. He didn’t
think the man would deal well with the fact they’d had sex.
Running his hand over Magpie’s bony spine, he found he couldn’t
feel bad about it. It was rare for anyone to allow James to touch
him.

The night noises lulled him into a semi-doze. Things had just

gotten a lot more complicated.

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CHAPTER 4

Magpie woke to find he was the only one in bed. Staring up at

the ceiling, he wiggled around, trying to find a comfortable spot.
His muscles ached with a familiar “after-sex” twinge. He bit his lip
to focus his memory.

“Shit,” he yelped as pain shot through his nerves. As his fingers

traced the split in his lip, he remembered. James had fucked him.

“Shit. Fuck. Damn.” He rolled out of bed and onto the floor,

fighting to get untangled from the sheet.

A shadow fell over him and he glared up into James’ yellow

eyes. The big man held out his hand as he bent down.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” He scrambled to his feet and moved

away from James.

Frustration ate at him. He wished he could read that impassive

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face. James pointed to a door over his shoulder.

“The bathroom. Shower. Clothes in there for you.” James

turned away from him. “Don’t use all the water.”

He rushed into the bathroom and turned the water on as hot as

it would go. Grabbing the bar of soap, he started scrubbing. He
finished, his skin beet red like he’d been boiled alive. After jerking
on the clothes he found folded on the counter, he headed back out
into the room. He was going to chew James out.

Before he could say a word, James said, “Not diseased or

filthy. I didn’t rape you.”

Even though there was no expression on the man’s face,

Magpie thought he detected a hint of hurt in that harsh voice.

“Yeah. Well, you can never be too sure.” Shit. Now he felt like

crap for hurting the man’s feelings. “There are a lot of strange
viruses around.”

James shook his head. “A Freak isn’t created. It’s born.”
“Fuck it. So sue me, asshole. I’ve had a fucking awful couple

of days. Excuse me for flipping out.” He swore while fighting back
the urge to apologize.

James stood, looking out the window. “No excuses. Freaks are

animals. Monsters to hide away and never touch. It’s the Triad
way.”

Laughter came from the street, and Magpie saw James’ tongue

slip out to test the air. Magpie didn’t want to talk about what
happened last night.

“Boots are by the bed.” James didn’t turn from the window.
He was happy to see his favorite boots. They had cost him a

great many black market coins to buy.

“Where’d you get all that black market coin you gave to

Tilda?” He laced the black leather tight around his ankles.

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“Valpraiso paid half in gold and half in coin. Have enough of

both to survive.” James headed for the other door. “Ready? We
only have a few hours of daylight left.”

“Ready? Where the hell are we going?” He raced after the man.
“I’m taking you to someone who can help.” James shot him a

quick glance. “You might not want her help since she is a Healer.”

“Why are you taking me to a Healer? I thought you said I

couldn’t get sick from you.” Panic swelled in him.

“Fuck you.” The words implied anger, rather than any

particular emotion on James’ face. “Tilda made you a Healer.”

A sudden memory rushed into his brain. “Tilda turned me into

a Healer? How the fuck is that possible? I thought you had to have
it in your blood.”

“Don’t know how she did it. Don’t really care. I’m taking you

to an associate who can help you learn how to control it.”

He grabbed James’ arm and managed to drag the man to a stop.

“Wait a fucking minute, asshole. Are you just going to drop my ass
and take off?”

His anger made him shake.
James glanced down at his hand, then back up at him. “I

thought you’d be happy.”

“You thought fucking wrong.”
He jerked his hand off James’ arm like he’d been burned.
“You swear too much.” James led the way down the stairs.
Magpie could do nothing but follow the tight, black leather-

clad ass. Forcing his gaze to drop, his eyes traced the long
muscular lines of James’ legs as the leather seemed to flow over
the flesh. His hands itched to trail along the seam of those pants to
the bulge at James’ groin. A bulge he knew left little to the
imagination.

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He’s a Freak, you idiot. No matter how gorgeous your deluded

body thinks he is, he can’t be trusted. He silenced the voice in his
head.

“Yes, I know I swear too much, but my vocabulary hardly

matters when you’re about to abandon me,” he muttered, not
paying attention to where they were going. When James stopped
suddenly, he ran straight into the wide back.

“Oomph.” A gasp forced its way from his lungs.
Without looking at him, James’ hand took his arm and steadied

him. He tried to ignore how his cock stiffened at the touch of that
smooth palm.

“Warn someone before you stop like that,” he groused.
“Shh.” James hissed back at him.
He noticed how the big man’s head tilted and that tongue slid

out to test the air. He couldn’t stop the shiver from racing down his
spine.

“Shit.” James whirled around and dragged him up the stairs to

the landing they had just passed.

“What’s wrong?” He couldn’t catch his breath as he tripped

down the hall.

“NFs are coming for us.” James pushed open another stairway

door.

Magpie thought they’d head down again, but James started to

climb up.

“Why would they come for us?”
“Probably think we had something to do with the killings.”

James hauled him up step-by-step.

A stitch tightened Magpie’s side and he doubled over. “Fuck. I

have to stop for a second.”

James came back to him and flung him over a shoulder. At

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least this time he wasn’t bleeding, but it was still uncomfortable.

“Do you always have to cart me around like a sack of

potatoes?” he complained.

A stinging slap to his ass made him grit his teeth.
“Bitch later. Close your eyes,” James ordered as the big man

shoved open the door to the roof.

“Shut my eyes? Are you fucking crazy?” No way was he going

to shut his eyes when his life and body were in the hands of a
Freak.

“Fine.”
James leapt to the top of the concrete wall at the edge of the

roof.

“Shit. Fuck. Let me down.”
Magpie stared down ten floors to where the pavement gleamed

dull black. He pushed against James’ back, trying to get the man to
put him down.

“Quit moving or I’ll drop you. Can’t fix splattered body parts.”

James’ order came accompanied by a pinch.

“Damn. Quit hitting me. Where the fuck are you carrying me?”

He closed his eyes. Only way he could keep from throwing up.
God, he hated heights.

“Metal ladder attached to east side of the building. We get there

and climb down. We might have a chance. Now shut up.” James
breathed hard.

Magpie shut up. He knew when to be quiet. His panic eased

with the rocking motion of James’ stride. His thoughts moved from
the hysteria of dangling ten stories off the ground to remembering
the feel of James’ body flowing under him last night.

His cock got harder, and he stifled a groan. No way could

James not notice his boner poking at his shoulder. Shit. This isn’t

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good, he thought. I can’t be attracted to him. He’s a Freak.

He opened his eyes to stare down at James’ ass as it flexed.

When he began to wonder what it would look like naked, he
whimpered. His world whirled around as James grunted and set
him back on his feet. He closed his eyes for a moment. A touch
whispered over his cheek, but when his eyes opened, James was
staring over the edge.

Stupid. He’s not going to touch you willingly after the way you

flipped out on him. Magpie wasn’t sure why the thought depressed
him.

“I’ll go first. You follow.”
He took a deep breath. He loathed heights. It had been hard

enough hanging over the edge while James carried him. He didn’t
think he’d be able to climb down that rusty metal ladder.

“Um, James.”
The big man glanced at him while stepping down on to a rung.

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I can do this, man.” He waved a limp hand

towards the ladder.

“Scared?”
Damn. He couldn’t tell if James was making fun of him or not.
“Fuck, yes, I’m scared. If I fall off the ladder, hopefully I’ll die.

If I’m not lucky, there’s the other fucking possibility of my bones
being shattered and I’ll be a goddamn vegetable the rest of my
fucking life.”

James held out a large hand to him. “Climb on and stay under

me. I’ll cover you and make sure you don’t fall.”

He started to argue. There was no fucking way he was going to

put his life in the hands of that big freak. Unfair, a voice in his
head commented. He saved your ass. Why would he hurt you now?

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He couldn’t argue with that logic. His choice disappeared when
James reached out and grabbed his hand, yanking him over the
edge and on to the ladder.

“Keep your eyes straight head at the wall. Don’t look down and

don’t worry. I’ve got you.” James’ voice slithered into his ear.

He had a death grip on the metal rungs. Taking a deep breath,

he nodded. Keep his gaze aimed at the brick wall. Don’t look
down. Let the big guy take the lead. Worry about everything else
later.

“Good. Let’s move.” James stepped down.
Magpie made sure his feet followed. He wasn’t going to get left

behind. Stuck like a fly on a wall for their pursuers to shoot. A
moist heat traced his ear, and he shivered.

“There’s no reason to be afraid. Might be a Freak, but won’t let

you fall.”

He felt the words rumble in James’ chest. Though he knew the

man would feel cool if he were to touch him, an astonishingly
enormous amount of warmth filled the space created for him by
James’ body.

“Step down.” James’ voice ordered him.
Magpie managed to shut off his brain and just do what the man

behind him told him to do. One rung at a time. At any moment, he
expected to hear voices and feel bullets whizzing by him.

“Where are they?” he muttered.
“No talking. Voices echo in alley.”
Smooth lips brushed against his ear as James spoke. Fuck, he

swore to himself, wanting to adjust his pants for more room as his
cock stiffened. A little wet warmth touched his skin behind his ear
and he realized James had licked him. Lust rushed through him,
causing him to almost let go of the ladder.

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“Shit, I wish you wouldn’t do that,” he mumbled fiercely, eyes

fused closed and knuckles white from the strength with which he
gripped the steel in front of him.

“Sorry.”
He didn’t think James really was sorry, but he also knew it

wasn’t the right time to argue with the big man about his tendency
to lick Magpie. Or Magpie’s irrational urge to beg him to keep
doing it.

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CHAPTER 5

Now wasn’t the time to tease the skinny man in his arms, but

James couldn’t help running his tongue over the shell of Magpie’s
ear. Magpie shivered, his dark brown curls brushing against James’
chin. A strangled noise drifted back to him.

“Something wrong?” He whispered the words, nibbling along

the side of pale neck exposed to him as Magpie tipped his head
back to look at him.

“Aren’t we supposed to be running away? Necking on a ladder

several stories above the street isn’t fucking romantic, asshole. It’s
damn dangerous.” Magpie kept his eyes focused on James.

A noise from above them made James push Magpie tight

against the wall. “Stay with me and step down when I do. We have
to get to the ground. We can shake them; just need a head start.”

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Magpie nodded. James doubted he’d get an argument from the

man until they made it to the safe house where he was going to
dump Magpie. He moved fast without hesitation. They didn’t have
the luxury to pause for rest. Jumping the last few feet, he landed
lightly, looking around to make sure no unwanted people were
around. He reached up and touched Magpie’s leg.

“Jump. Catch you.”
He could tell Magpie thought about not doing it, but a shout

from above them made the dark-haired man swallow hard and
jump. James caught Magpie’s thin frame in his arms. For a
moment, James and Magpie stared at each other while James held
the smaller man.

A noise above them made him push Magpie against the wall,

shielding him with his own body before looking up to see a man
leaning out of one of the windows in the apartment building.

“Search the building. They aren’t in the alley.”
James thanked whatever God might still be alive for his ability

to blend into the surrounding area. It had nothing to do with being
a chameleon and everything to do with not moving. His tattooed
and striated skin, varying from black to cream and the urban
camouflage clothing he wore allowed him to disappear in plain
sight at times.

“We’ll need to get you different clothes,” he murmured

absently as he thought about where to go.

“Shit.” Magpie shuddered.
“Let’s go.”
The NFs above them had been from the Triad City Police’s

tactical unit, meaning they were Freak hunters. James knew that
from the yellow patches they wore on their right sleeves, plus the
hunters were the only NFs who would dare to enter North Side,

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except for the occasional druggie looking for a different kind of
fix.

“I thought you said Non-Freaks never came here,” Magpie

commented as James dragged him along.

“Those are policemen. Someone must’ve alerted them we were

within the walls.”

He stopped short of the sidewalk, pressed against the brick

wall, and crouched. Magpie huddled next to him. He waited for
another question, but Magpie was shockingly silent.

Peering around the edge of the building, he spotted two men.

One held Tilda and shook her like a rag doll. The other man
scanned the street in both directions.

For the first time in his life, James found himself happy about

the radiation still in the atmosphere. It made electronic
communication virtually impossible because it screwed up the
transmitting airwaves. Those two officers had no way of knowing
James and Magpie were on the move.

He turned and looked in the opposite direction. Abandoned cars

littered the street, left where their owners had parked them or been
sitting in traffic when the first bomb dropped. Even though it’d
been a generation since those terrifying events, no one had ever
taken the time to clean up the streets in Freak Town.

If they moved slowly and carefully for the first few feet, they

could reach the tangle of metal vehicles and hide. They should be
safe once the sky went dark. True sunlight only lasted five hours a
day before the fall-out clouds banished it. There was no authorized
electrical use on the North Side, only what little light the few
working generators provided. The NFs didn’t waste such a
valuable resource on mutants and monsters.

James gestured for Magpie to come closer. Wrapping his arm

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tight around the other man’s slender waist, he leaned down until
his lips pressed against Magpie’s ear.

“We make our way into the street. We should have enough

time to get in amongst the vehicles before they realize we aren’t in
the building.”

“Shouldn’t we try to get farther away?”
“We’ll go as far as we can until night falls. After which, we’ll

hole up somewhere. It isn’t safe for you to be out.”

Magpie’s expression turned indignant. “I can take care of

myself.”

“Against the NFs hunting us, yes, I have no doubt about that,

but you’re no match for the Freaks who haunt the dark.”

Magpie went silent and limp in his arms. James took it as the

man’s coming to terms with the fact he wasn’t on top of the food
chain in Freak Town.

He eased away, keeping a hand encircling Magpie’s wrist.

Checking around the corner, he saw that the policemen and Tilda
were gone. They must have stepped into the building while he
explained things to Magpie. Good, it would give them the time
they needed to get out among the heaps of rusted metal.

Glancing back at Magpie, he noticed the man staring at him

with intense focus and he nodded. Whatever Magpie might think
about him or Freaks in general, the man had a strong survival
instinct and he would do what he had to do live. That’s all that
James asked because he didn’t want some too-stupid-to-live NF
fucking things up for him.

Magpie shuffled closer, and James helped him to move in front

of him. He ignored the enticing heat the smaller man gave off.
Now was not the time to forget they were being hunted, though
once night fell and the temperature dropped, he hoped Magpie

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would help keep him warm. Under stressful times, his body
temperature would drop and he’d need Magpie’s body heat to keep
him from going into hibernation. But that was a conversation for
later.

“See that orange pickup three vehicles in from the sidewalk?”

He barely lifted a finger to point at it.

“Yes,” Magpie breathed out.
“Good. Run as fast as you can. Get inside the bed. Canvas over

top will hide us from them. No tracking devices in Freak Town.
Too many things to screw them up.”

“Okay.”
He shot a look over his shoulder. The hunters were still inside,

and he didn’t know how much longer it would be before someone
thought about searching in the alley. He took a deep breath,
smiling slightly when he noticed that Magpie was coordinating his
breathing with James’. He tapped Magpie’s hip.

“Okay. Go.”
Magpie shot into the street, sprinting in between cars without

hesitation. The man could move when he wanted. James waited
until he saw Magpie dive under the canvas. Unlike Magpie, James
didn’t explode from his spot. He oozed out, like the odd gelatin
creatures living in the sewers under Freak Town. He stayed low
and took his time, slipping from spot to spot, using every one of
his unusual senses to test the air around him.

A slight disturbance in the air currents caused him to freeze.

He’d just reached the first car in the line and slid under it. No way
was he looking around. Staring straight ahead, he spied Magpie
peeking out from under the canvas truck cover. From the direction
of the man’s gaze, James could tell right where the hunters were.
When they skated over him and stopped a few inches to his left

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side, James knew the police men stood right next to the car under
which he hid.

“Where did they go, bitch?”
Scrambling like feet on stones, trying to find some purchase,

rattled close by.

“How should I know? Snake forced me to heal that skinny

bastard.”

“Forced you to heal?”
James mentally shook his head. Tilda had signed her own

captivity warrant. The Triads paid good money for healers.

“I’m a healer,” Tilda whined.
Did she realize she’d transferred her power into Magpie? Or

was she hoping that by telling the Freak hunters about her ability,
they would let her go free?

“Take this one back to headquarters. Let the Triads know we

have a healer. One of them will pay nicely for a pretty healer.”

“What? Wait, you can’t just drag me away. I didn’t do anything

wrong.”

The struggle going on an arm’s length from him made James

cringe, but there wasn’t anything he could do to save her. Magpie
made a slight move like he wanted to try and help Tilda. James
flicked a finger at him, trying to tell him to stay under cover. There
was nothing they could do to help her. She’d made her bed and
now she would lie in it. James couldn’t work up a lot of sympathy
for her.

Magpie settled down, a frown marring his pointed features.

Great, when had the man grown a conscience? It wasn’t like there
was anything the two of them could do against a squad of Freak
hunters.

Their footsteps moved down the street away from him. He

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waited for Magpie’s signal before he started moving again. When
Magpie finally nodded, he slithered from under the car and inched
his way to the orange truck. With a short burst of speed, he dove
headfirst into the bed, managing to slip under the canvas and miss
Magpie all at the same time.

He pressed his fingers to Magpie’s lips, hoping he knew better

than to say anything. The heat under the cover must have been
stifling. Sweat beaded and dripped from Magpie’s chin as they lay
next to each other, waiting for night to fall and the Freak hunters to
leave.

James didn’t know how long they stayed there, but when his

internal clock finally told him night had fallen, he tapped Magpie’s
arm and nodded toward the end of the vehicle.

“Get out. Figure out where we can crash for the night.”
Magpie tumbled out and stretched. Tugging the neck of his T-

shirt up, he scrubbed the sweat from his face. The whole time his
gaze wandered, never stopping in one spot long. James tested the
air. No one was around at the moment.

Gesturing for Magpie to follow him, he wound his way through

the graveyard of vehicles, searching for a truly abandoned
building. Magpie stayed with him, at times so close James could
swear he felt the man’s hand brush his ass. Of course, that was
impossible. Magpie wasn’t looking for anything from him except
getting him out of this mess alive.

They had walked for about ten minutes, and Magpie kept silent,

which must have been a record for the man or something. Every
once in a while, James would peek over his shoulder to make sure
Magpie was still there. A large, bombed-out building hung onto the
left side of the street. It looked like a stiff wind could blow it over,
but it had been around since the first bomb dropped without losing

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anything but its windows.

“There.”
He hustled Magpie through the empty doorway to the darkness

beyond. The muscles under James’ hands stiffened, yet Magpie
continued to move, letting James direct him up the stairs and into a
back bedroom. Again, they were alone in the room at least. He
barricaded the door and leaned against the trash he’d built the
blockade from. He didn’t know whether Magpie could really see
him or not. His heat sensors flared as he drew his tongue over
them, and Magpie appeared, pacing and muttering to himself.

“Afraid of the dark?”
Magpie jerked to a stop, propped his hands on his hips, and

glared at James. At least, he assumed Magpie was glaring at him.
He couldn’t tell that much detail.

“No, I’m not afraid of the dark, but I can’t see in the dark like a

crazy mutant creature who shall be left unnamed. I don’t like not
being able to see if someone’s coming after me or not.”

“Valid. I need to leave for a little bit. Get you some food and

some new clothes.”

Frowning, Magpie looked down at his clothing. “What’s wrong

with what I’m wearing? Hell, you gave it to me.”

“I know. My options were limited then. Now I’ll get clothes to

help you blend into Freak Town.”

He scraped his palm over his head and frowned. God, he didn’t

want to approach any of the inhabitants of Freak Town. James
hated being forced back to the one place he’d never wanted to
return to, and in doing so, he’d changed the course of Magpie’s
life. Not for the better either.

“I assume you’re going to leave me here.”
The tone of Magpie’s voice told James all he needed to know

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about how the man felt about James leaving him alone.

“I have to. Not used to traveling in the dark with mutants

everywhere around you. Here you aren’t a big fish. Here you’re a
tadpole, juicy bait for some big fish looking to destroy something
to make his life better.”

His throat hurt and he wanted to leave. Wanted to find

someplace where he didn’t have to talk to anyone, where they
would know what he wanted by looking at him.

Magpie flopped onto the floor in the corner of the room,

wrapped his arms around his legs, and rested his forehead on his
knees. “Get the hell out of here. I’ll be fine. If someone comes in,
I’ll hide in the closet. Just make sure you get me something edible
for dinner.”

Grunting, he stalked to the window and leaned out, glancing up

and down to see which way would be the easiest. A fire escape still
attached to the outside façade offered a route up to the roof. That
was the way he’d take. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw
Magpie huddled in the corner and something tugged in his chest.

Without thinking about why he did it, he went to Magpie,

dropping to his knees beside the man. James put a finger under
Magpie’s chin and lifted, while he lowered his lips. Their mouths
brushed together for a few second before Magpie jerked away.

“What the hell was that?”
“I’ll be back.”
“Shit. You sound like that actor from that science fiction movie

about robots. Only you don’t have his silly accent.”

James frowned and shrugged.
“Of course you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“No movie theaters here in Freak Town. I didn’t have any

money to go even if they were here.”

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“Whatever, man.” Magpie waved a hand. “What the hell was

the kiss for?”

He shrugged again and pushed to his feet. “Don’t know. Just

felt like kissing you.”

A strangled sound emerged from Magpie. Was Magpie fighting

the urge to scream? James smiled to himself as he slipped back to
the window. Irritating the other man was turning out to be rather
fun, even though he shouldn’t be happy about it or doing it while
they ran for their lives.

“Stay put.”
“Stay put, he says. Like I’m some kind of stray dog he picked

up,” Magpie mumbled as James climbed out onto the fire escape.

After stepping onto the roof, James took the time to scent the

air, his tongue slipping between his lips and dragging the air
molecules over the pits in the top of his mouth. Other creatures
also emerged from their daytime hiding spots. He found a corner,
protected on three sides by brick walls.

Sinking down onto his knees, James understood what he had to

do. The only way for Magpie and him to survive was for James to
return to the Freak he was before he ran away from the North Side.
He closed his eyes and breathed deep, letting the thin veneer of
what passed for civilization shed like old skin.

When he rose to his full height after a few minutes, any

compassion or humanity he might have had was gone. Snake was
back and he would kill anyone who got in the way of his goal:
getting Magpie safely out of Triad City before the uprising caused
any more problems.

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 6

Magpie’s eyes shot open and he stared out into the black as tar

night around him. What had wakened him? Another scrape of
clothing over wood drew his gaze to the window where a darker,
denser silhouette blocked the dark sky. Shit. He tightened his grip
on the short board he’d found after James left. No way was any
Freak getting the drop on him.

He tensed, knowing his prone position wasn’t the best from

which to launch an attack, but it was all he could do. Moving
would alert the intruder to Magpie’s hiding spot and to the fact that
he wasn’t asleep anymore. Peering through his hair, he watched the
shadow drop over the windowsill and slowly merge with the
darkness in the room. His eyes weren’t going to do him any good.
He’d have to rely on his other senses. Biting his lip to keep from

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snorting, Magpie knew he was dead.

Closing his eyes, he strained to distinguish the noises of the

person in the room with him from the normal night noises. What a
farce. How could he know which sounds were normal and which
ones came from the guy?

A sudden crash jerked him out of his depressing thoughts.

Annoyed hissing came from the general direction of the
disturbance, and Magpie got a sneaking suspicion he knew who the
invader was. Angry at James for not announcing himself, Magpie
laid in wait. He’d teach the big bastard not to mess with him.

Within seconds, the presence of someone large loomed over

him. He strengthened his grip on the wood and swept it sideways
about five inches from the floor. It nailed something solid and,
since he’d swung with all the power he could, it made a satisfying
thud.

No screams. No muffled pain-filled grunts. Just another

annoyed hissed, only louder this time. A bundle of soft objects fell
onto his chest, and he shuddered, trying to get out from under
them. Flailing about like a landed fish, he tossed away his board
and whatever had landed on him. He scrambled to his feet and
swung a fist, connecting with the man’s chest.

Before he could swing again, a large hand clamped down on

his wrist and jerked him into the stranger’s body. Inhaling, he got
ready to barrage his captor with an avalanche of foul words.

“Stop it.”
The sibilant order froze him.
“What the hell is your problem? You’re making enough noise

to wake the dead, if there were any here in Freak town.”

“James?” He struggled to get his arms free to hit the man again.

“Why the hell didn’t you say something? If I’d something more

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deadly than the board, I’d have killed you.”

Oh, no, James didn’t just snort at him. A snort was a sound of

derision, and Magpie wasn’t about to let the man act like Magpie
wasn’t the dangerous person his reputation stated he was. Bracing
himself, he kicked out with a foot, connecting with James’ leg.

“God damn, Magpie, stop trying to kill me.”
Falling. He was falling and he clung to the big man holding

him. At the last second before his back hit the floor, Magpie was
whirled around and he landed on top of James. He didn’t get to
process that impression. Within seconds, he was on his back,
pinned to the dirt-encrusted tile by James’ weight, nothing more,
and that was only the bottom half of the man. James braced his
upper body on his hands, placed on either side of Magpie’s head.

“Who else did you think I was? No one else is going to break

into this place.” James leaned forward until their foreheads rested
against each other.

“You’re kidding, right? I’m in the middle of Freak Town,

where I’m more likely to get my throat slit than anywhere else in
the city. It’s dark and the only person I know here has left me
alone. I can’t see shit, and someone’s sneaking into my room.” He
pushed against James’ chest. “Get off me, you big lug.”

James shifted, grinding his groin into Magpie and drawing an

involuntary moan from him. To cover up the sound, he grunted and
shoved at James again.

“You knew it was me when you swung that board the first

time,” James pointed out, not budging an inch.

Was staying silent an admission of guilt? It must have been

because James gently butted their heads together.

“Why did you hit me then?”
“You didn’t announce yourself. How was I to know who you

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were? All I saw was a dark shape creep in through the window.”

He lost his train of thought when James rocked his hips and

rubbed his erection against Magpie’s. The back of his head
thumped the floor as he arched, trying to get more pressure, more
movement, more something to tame the ache in his cock.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” He slid his hands

up over James’ shoulders to cup the back of James’ head.

“Is it working?” James nuzzled the underside of Magpie’s chin.
“Depends on what you’re trying to accomplish,” he muttered,

beginning not to care what the man’s motives were. He spread his
legs, letting James settle between his thighs.

“Maybe I’m trying to apologize for not announcing myself

when I came back.”

Magpie twitched when James nipped his earlobe. Desire

crashed through him and he crushed his mouth to James’. Who
cared why James tormented him this way? All he cared about was
the press of the hard body over him and the way their cocks fit
together. He wrapped one of his legs around James’ thigh, bringing
their bodies even closer.

“Is this what you want, Magpie? If it’s not, tell me now.”
He slid his hands down James’ back to grasp the man’s ass and

tugged James tighter to him, giving James a silent answer to his
question. His mind would most likely rebel in the morning, but
Magpie didn’t care at the moment. He wanted James to fuck him.
His hole clenched at the memory of James’ cock reaming him the
other night.

Disappointment shot through him when James rolled off and

stood. Pushing up on his hand, he squinted, trying to see what
James was doing.

“What’s going on?”

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A snap-like fabric opening sounded in the dark room. He heard

more shuffling and rustling like James was arranging clothing and
other things. James turned to look at him, or he assumed James
looked at him because all he could make out was a large, human-
shaped shadow.

“Come here.” A slight pause. “Please.”
Magpie grinned. Seemed like James learned some manners

while he was out, scouring Freak Town for news and stuff. He
pushed to his feet and headed toward the other man. When he
should have stopped, he kept going until he invaded James’
personal space and pressed their bodies together from knee to
chest.

James’ breathing stuttered, and pride skipped through Magpie

in response to being able to affect the big man in that way. He gave
an undignified squeak when James wrapped him in a tight embrace
and dragged him to the floor. In seconds, he was on the ground,
back against some musty fabric with James braced above him.

Staring through the shadows, he watched as James lowered his

head until he brushed their lips together. The hesitant touch caused
Magpie to feel a small hint of guilt. If he hadn’t freaked out so
much after their last encounter, James probably wouldn’t be so
careful this time.

“Don’t worry. I’m completely aware of what’s going on here

and I won’t panic in the middle of it.”

“Just in the morning when we wake up wrapped in each other’s

arms,” James commented.

“I’m a restless sleeper. You’ll be lucky if I don’t shove you out

of the bed before I wake up.”

James eyed him with a skeptical quirk of a non-existent

eyebrow. “Do you really think you could push me anywhere I

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might not want to go?”

Magpie grinned. “I’m stronger than I look.”
With a surge of his muscles, he caught James off guard and

flipped them, landing on James’ hard chest with an, “Oomph.”

Silence. James fisted his hands in Magpie’s hair, holding him

still as James began to plunder his mouth. Magpie didn’t fight
against the restraints like he usually would. Yielding got him what
he wanted—James’ lips against his, and the man’s hands on his
body.

He groaned and ground his groin against James, adoring the

feeling of their erections pressing on each other. James slid one
hand down Magpie’s back, slipping the tips of his fingers under
Magpie’s waistband to play with the top of Magpie’s crease.
Magpie shuddered, arching his back like a horny alley cat.

James pushed him a few inches away, and Magpie lifted up,

giving James room to undo Magpie’s pants. They both exhaled
slowly when Magpie’s cock sprang free of its fabric prison. He
didn’t fight as James urged him to sit up and move toward James’
head.

“Holy shit,” he swore as James licked the head of his cock with

quick little swipes of his tongue.

“Hmmm…” James hummed his approval, his hands gripping

Magpie’s hips and tugging him closer.

Magpie’s eyes rolled back in his head when James swallowed

the entire length of his cock in one easy motion. The suction was
amazing, almost like James wanted to suck Magpie’s brain out
through his prick.

“God, you’re a fucking awesome cock sucker.”
His lover didn’t answer, just worked his hands around under

Magpie’s pants to palm his ass and rub his fingers over Magpie’s

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hole. Fuck, he needed those inside him, but more than that, he
couldn’t wait for James to take him. With the attention paid to his
cock and his ass, Magpie reached his peak before he planned.

He bit his lip to keep from screaming as he came. James drank

down Magpie’s cum without protest while shocks rocked Magpie.
When he’d sucked the last drops from Magpie, James flipped him
over on to his back and stripped off his pants. As James undressed,
Magpie recovered enough muscle control to pull his legs back and
out, exposing his opening to James’ gaze.

A soft hiss of approval issued from James’ throat, and Magpie

smiled, glad he wasn’t the only one affected by the desire
connecting them. He jerked slightly in surprise when James lifted
his hips and licked from behind Magpie’s balls over his hole to the
top of his ass crack. James returned to the puckered ring and
pushed his tongue in, working Magpie to stretch and relax.

Soon Magpie whined, his cock very interested again in what

was going on. “James, I can’t take it much more. I want you in
me.”

James removed his tongue, set Magpie’s legs over his

shoulders, and positioned his cock at Magpie’s entrance. Their
gazes met as James thrust in slow and sure, not hesitating or
stopping until he was buried balls deep in Magpie.

“Yes,” Magpie whispered, his back arching and his muscles

clenching as he grew used to the invasion.

James waited until Magpie nodded before moving. James

showed him no mercy as he reamed Magpie’s ass again and again,
taking him hard and fast. He didn’t care. He wanted to feel James
for days afterward, considering some rogue Freak might kill them
tomorrow. Memories like this were worth the burn and pain.

He couldn’t reach his cock and it ached with wanting. “James.”

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It was as if the man could read his mind. James pried a hand off

Magpie’s hips and fisted his cock with a vise-like grip, wringing a
cry from Magpie. The strength of James’ thrusts drove Magpie’s
shaft through the circle of James’ fingers. Emotions and sensations
swamped him and he cried out, remembering at the last moment to
bury his face in his arms to muffle the noise. It wouldn’t pay to
have the best sex of his life and end up dead at the end of some
Freak’s knife.

Ropey strings of cum spilled from his cock, coating James’

hand and Magpie’s stomach. James’ lust-filled hiss warned him
and he closed his eyes as James rocked into him once, twice,
before freezing. Hot liquid flooded his channel, and James shook
above him, shooting every drop of cum from his cock into Magpie.
Magpie wrapped his hands around James’ arms, holding on as they
trembled together.

James’ strength must have given out because he collapsed,

managing to roll enough not to squash Magpie under him. They
groaned as James’ softening dick slid out of Magpie. Snuggling
close to James, Magpie rested his hand on the man’s chest and
counted his racing heartbeats.

In the darkness, their pants eased and slowed until they were

breathing in sync, deep and calm. Magpie didn’t think James was
asleep.

“What do we do now?”
“Right now?”
He slapped the rock hard chest. “No, what do we do about this

whole fucking mess?”

“Tonight, nothing. We’ll grab some shut eye and then

tomorrow, we’re going to a friend.”

“A friend? I didn’t think you had any of those.” He yelped

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softly when James’ hand came down on his ass.

“All right. She’s not a friend, but she is an acquaintance who

can help us.”

“Help us how? Why do we need help? Why aren’t we hauling

our asses out of Freak Town and heading someplace where we
won’t get killed?”

All those good feelings left over from his climax disappeared

and his nerves started jangling again.

“I need to gather some information and items before I’m ready

to split.”

There was something James wasn’t telling him, yet he couldn’t

force his lover to talk if he didn’t want to. Magpie laid his head
back down, drumming his fingers over James’ skin.

James pressed his large hand over Magpie’s. “Stop. Try to get

some rest because the next several days are going to be rough.”

“What? You don’t think I’m tough enough to deal with all this

shit? I’m plenty tough. I mean, I survived twenty-five years on my
own.” He was getting worked up again.

This time, James covered Magpie’s mouth with his hand. “Shut

the hell up, Magpie. I’m trying to get some sleep. Maybe I need to
keep my strength up.”

He wrinkled his nose, but stayed silent. He wouldn’t put it past

the man to gag him for some peace and quiet. Nodding, he waited
until James removed his hand before wiggling around to find the
perfect spot. He kept his hand in the valley of James’ chest,
allowing his lover’s breathing and heartbeat to soothe him to sleep.

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CHAPTER 7

“It’s time to wake up.”
Magpie grumbled as someone shook him. He blinked, slowly

coming awake, to find James crouched next to him.

“Didn’t we just go to sleep?” he muttered as he sat up.
“I’m sure it feels that way. How are you doing?” James

straightened to his full height and held out a hand for Magpie.

He let James pull him to his feet, wincing at a few sore spots as

he stretched. “I’m fine.”

“Good because we have to go.”
Watching James pack up the black duffle bag he’d returned

with last night, Magpie worked on waking up and dressing. Getting
up early in the morning wasn’t his strong suit. It usually took him
an hour or so and several cups of coffee to start processing things

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at normal speed.

“Where are we going? I didn’t know we had an appointment

today.” He shoved his hand through his hair. “Is there anywhere
we can get a cup of coffee around here?”

James shot a look at him over his shoulder as the big man left

the room. “You’re joking, right?”

“No.” Magpie tugged his shirt down and frowned. “Why am I

getting the feeling that there isn’t any coffee to be had?”

“You’re in Freak Town, Magpie. Coffee’s a luxury no one can

afford here.”

“But, man, I’m addicted to caffeine. If I don’t get my fix, I start

to shake and I get cranky.” Shit, his hands were twitching already.

“Guess you’ll have to go cold-turkey until we get back on the

other side of the wall.” James hesitated in the doorway, checking
both ways before stepping out onto the sidewalk.

“We’re going back to the other side of the wall?” His ears

perked up hearing that.

“Yes.” James reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him

along behind him. “Keep up, Magpie. Maybe where we’re going
has coffee.”

“God, I hope so.” He hid his smile when he heard James’

annoyed grunt. He let James drag him along. “Where are we
going?”

“To see someone.”
“Who?”
“Someone who can help us.”
Whirling suddenly, James pushed him into a doorway, covering

Magpie’s body with his own.

“Oomph! What’s that for?”
Before he could say anything else, James lowered his head and

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kissed him. Any connection between his tongue and brain short-
circuited the instant James’ lips landed on his. He fisted his hands
in the front of James’ shirt and tried to climb inside the man. James
pinned him so hard against the door behind him that he swore he
could feel the grain of the wood imprinting on his skin.

“Oh.” He breathed into James’ mouth, wrapping his leg around

James’ thigh and wishing he could scale him to encircle his lover’s
waist with his legs. They rocked together, drawing a whimper from
Magpie as he felt the hard length of James’ erection rub over his.

He forgot where they were and what kind of danger existed

until James gripped his hips and stepped away from him. Blinking,
Magpie stared up at James, noticing the other man wasn’t looking
at him.

“What was that?”
“It was the best way to keep anyone from noticing that you

don’t really belong here.” James moved down the street,
continuing to drag Magpie with him.

Magpie’s feet weren’t really working and he hoped the blood

pooled in his groin from the kiss would begin to circulate again.
“So it was a distraction kiss, not a real one.”

Why did disappointment roll through him? Yeah, he let James

fuck him last night, but maybe it was still leftover need from
finding out he’d almost died and needing to prove he was still
alive. He’d heard that people fuck like rabbits after a near-death
experience.

“That’s okay, man. I totally understand and I’d rather you stuck

your tongue down my throat than end up dead because some Freak
wigged out on my ass.”

Those broad shoulders in front of him went up and down like

James had heaved a huge sigh. The large hand clasping his wrist

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tightened slightly before James dropped it to rearrange the strap of
the duffle bag he carried.

And because Magpie didn’t always know when to quit, he

pushed. “Was that what last night was about? Distraction? Were
you distracting me from something? You have great technique.
Maybe you should think about getting paid for work like that. You
could make good money, I bet.”

James whirled around and struck as fast as a snake. All the air

rushed from Magpie’s body when his back became good friends
with the brick wall James slammed him against. He struggled
without progress to get the man to let him go, but James was
having none of it. He stared at Magpie with those cold, unblinking
yellow eyes, and Magpie wished he could read minds. He’d love to
know what James was thinking at the moment. A soft hiss issued
from James’ mouth and the fingers digging into his throat
loosened.

“If you value this new life you’ve been given, I suggest you

stop talking now.”

“But…” he croaked out, small bursts of air filling his lungs, but

not enough for a full sentence yet.

“No buts, Magpie. I know you have to push, especially when

you’re uncomfortable or insecure.” James waved his free hand
around them. “This is not the place to do it. Don’t challenge me on
these streets or I’ll have to do something I don’t ever want to do to
you again.”

“What’s that?”
“Bite you.”
James curled back his upper lip to reveal his fangs, and Magpie

shivered.

“You’re right.”

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Removing his fingers from around Magpie’s neck, James

didn’t step away, though. He remained in Magpie’s face.

“It was the worst experience of my life.” Magpie coughed as he

inhaled, gasping for breath.

Tilting his head, James expressed his doubt without saying a

word.

“All right. It would’ve been the worst experience, if I could

remember it.” He rubbed his neck and glared at James. “What the
hell was all that alpha shit for?”

His lover shook his head. “You have a way of getting under

people’s skin. Are you upset I might have fucked you last night to
distract you for some nefarious reason of my own? Would it make
you feel better if I told you that I slept with you because I wanted
you, not for any other reason?”

He resisted the urge to kick the ground and hang his head. “No,

not if you’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

James rolled his eyes, but kept any comment to himself. “Let’s

go. The sooner we get you off the street, the sooner I can relax.”

“No one will try to kill me.” Trying to sound confident was

hard when his back burned from eyes staring holes into him.

“I think at times you could drive a saint to kill you,” James

muttered. “If you were on your own, the Freaks who run this part
of the city wouldn’t hesitate to slit your throat and toss you in the
gutter like garbage.”

His harsh laugh rang out over the streets. “Dude, it’s not that

much different in the rest of the city.”

“Maybe not, but I went to a lot of trouble to keep you alive and

I don’t plan on letting anyone else spill your blood.”

“But you’ll spill my blood? Is that what you’re saying?”
This time James did sigh. “Shut up or I’ll gag you.”

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“Well, damn, I didn’t know you were into kinky shit like that.”

He winked when James glared at him. “All right. I’ll be quiet
now.”

James snorted as if he didn’t believe him.
Magpie shrugged because it didn’t matter. He’d stay silent for

as long as he could. A few feet down the sidewalk, he froze as a
strange, green-skinned creature walked toward him. It was hard to
determine its gender and he couldn’t help but stare.

“What the hell is it?” he whispered as the creature wobbled

closer. “Are those flippers?”

Without taking his eyes off the Freak in front of them, James

reached out and clamped his hand over Magpie’s mouth, dragging
him closer to his body. He turned his head and pressed his lips to
Magpie’s ear.

“Don’t stare and don’t say anything or I will bite you and

knock your ass out.”

All he could do was nod and hope that the imprints of James’

fingers didn’t remain permanently on his face. He averted his eyes
when the green being passed them. His feet tripped over cracks in
the concrete as James practically carried him away until they came
to a stop in front of another dilapidated building.

He shook off James’ hand and glared at him. “Why are you

carting me around like I’m a five-year-old?”

“Because you’re going to get me killed, and I don’t want to die.

Not here and not by some Freak you’ve ticked off.”

“What the fuck was that thing?” Magpie gestured behind them.

“And did it have flippers for hands?”

“Yes, it did. One of those mutations from the fall-out. Weird

things happened to those closest to ground zero. Radiation can
really fuck up someone’s DNA.” James pushed open a door and

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led the way into a trash-filled hallway. “We’re here.”

Magpie glanced around at the graffiti-decorated walls as he

walked in. Quite a few of the doors were broken and hanging from
hinges. He shivered, thinking he’d never seen a more desolate
place. “Who would live here?”

James glared at him over his shoulder. “Someone who had no

choice.”

“Everyone has a choice.” Magpie tried not to rub up against

anything. Never knew what kind of germs lived in a dump like
this.

“Not everyone. Freaks must live where others tell them to or

die. Why do you think we live behind the Wall? Do you really
think we chose to be treated like we’re animals?” James stopped in
front of a closed door and knocked.

“Yeah, well, you got out.” Lame, jackass. Great comeback.
“Not everyone has the courage and steel backbone that Snake

has.” A shaky voice came through the door first and then a short,
bent old woman gestured for them to come in. “What have you
brought me, Snake?”

“A new healer, Hannah, who has no clue what he’s doing. He’s

going to get himself killed. Needs you to train him.” James moved
to the window, staring out at the street below.

The big guy was checking their back and making sure no one

had followed them. Magpie wasn’t sure what he was supposed to
do. Turning, he saw the woman studying him with intense eyes.

“Tilda did it to you, huh?” The woman gave James a smirk. “I

told you she’d screw you over the first chance she got.”

“Bully for you. I don’t have time for this. Magpie, this is your

new teacher.” James gestured between the two of them as he
headed for the door.

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“Wait. What the fuck’s going on here?” Magpie reached out

and grabbed James’ arm. He glared up at the big man, but he knew
he didn’t intimidate James. “The hell you’re leaving me here, you
piece of shit freak. You drag my ass over to this fucking zoo. You
get me changed into some crazy healer. I get shot at and chased
because of you. Now you’re fucking leaving me with some
stranger.” Magpie glanced over to see Hannah grinning at him.
“What the fuck are you grinning at, you fucking crazy bitch?”

James whirled and gripped his throat with one hand, squeezing

slightly. “Keep a respectful tongue when you talk to her.”

Magpie glanced away from James’ cold eyes to see his own

feet dangling several inches off the floor. Shit, he was pushing all
of James’ buttons and he wasn’t sure how much more patience the
man had. “All right. Fuck. Yeah. Whatever. Sorry, lady.”

James set him down, and he was happy to be on his own two

feet and not crumpled in a heap in a corner. He coughed, trying to
ease the muscles around his airway. James headed for the door.

“Oh, hell, no. You aren’t leaving, you fucker. I don’t care how

dangerous it might be.” This time he grabbed James’ hand. The
cool skin made him shiver.

James looked down at their clasped hands. “Why are you

fighting me? You don’t even like me half the time, if the way you
act like I’m diseased is any indication. You don’t want to be
around me.”

Magpie swallowed his pride. “I’m afraid, James, and you’re the

only fucking thing that makes me feel safe.” Was there a slight
thaw in those ice blue eyes? “I’m somewhere over that fucking
rainbow, man, and you’re the wizard asshole who’ll get me home
again.”

“There is no going home for you, young man. You’re stuck in

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our ‘freak-filled’ land of Oz.” Hannah cackled.

Worry raced through Magpie. “What the fuck is she talking

about?”

“Going back into Triad City as a healer is a death sentence. The

NFs might kill you or the crime associates might enslave you.
They control healers in the city.” James turned his hand over and
entwined their fingers.

“You mean?” He couldn’t finish his sentence.
“He should’ve left you to die like all the other NFs in that

room.” The old woman moved to the other room.

“Why didn’t you?” Magpie had wondered about that, but had

never gotten an opportunity to ask.

James glanced away and hesitated. Shrugging those massive

shoulders, he said, “Don’t know really. You weren’t the only NF
alive. Maybe it was because you’d always been kind to me. It
didn’t seem to matter that we worked for opposing bosses.”

Magpie could tell James was uncomfortable. If the man could,

he’d probably be blushing.

“I liked you.” It was a simple statement, but Magpie wasn’t

sure James understood the enormity of those three words. He’d
never said them to anyone before.

“I liked you as well. You showed me a few people out there

might be able to overlook my differences.” A sardonic grin lifted
one side of James’ mouth. “Then you found out about them and
shot that theory to hell.”

Somehow, knowing he’d disappointed James made Magpie feel

terrible. He tugged the big man closer and slid his free hand around
James’ neck. He applied a little pressure to encourage James to
lower his head.

Their mouths touched, and he exhaled softly as James’ arms

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wrapped him in a tight embrace. The kiss was a gentle give and
take with neither of them fighting for dominance.

“Stop that nonsense right now.” Hannah came back into the

room. “There’s no time for that.”

Reluctant to part from James’ lips, he stepped back and stared

up at the strangely naked face in front of him.

“Give me time,” he whispered.
“Would, but I don’t have any to give. If I can wing it, you’re

going to be on the first train out for the coast. Freaks and NFs live
together in cities out there with no titanium walls.” James cradled
Magpie’s face. “I could convince you, if I had time, that I’m not a
monster.”

Magpie was stunned into silence for the first time in his life,

which allowed James the chance to slip out of the apartment.

“Wait,” he called, but James was gone.
“He’s gone, young man, and there’s no point chasing after him.

Like any good snake, he’s great at hiding.” Hannah gestured for
him to follow her.

“Who’s going to fucking watch his back? Damn. Who’s going

to help him?” Magpie didn’t trust her. It was a bad time to find out
that the only person in the world he trusted was the man who’d just
left him.

“You can, if you let me teach you. Tilda gave you her power,

plus you had some natural ability of your own or she’d never have
been able to do the transfer. Her power is already trained. We must
blend it with yours.” Hannah started pulling a few items off a shelf.

“Sounds damn easy,” he mumbled.
“In three days time, you’ll be able to go and fight beside your

lover.” Her sarcasm was thick.

“I never said I loved him,” he protested as he sat in the chair

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she pointed at.

“Men never do. Especially men like you. The nice thing about

that is you never need to hear the words either.” She squinted at
him. “Don’t worry. Snake won’t get himself killed in the three
days it takes for you to learn this crap.”

Magpie had never finished school because he’d hated the

lessons and repetitive exercises, but he vowed he’d stick with this
training because it would get him back to James sooner.

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 8

Standing in the doorway, James watched Magpie. His lover sat

cross-legged in the middle of Hannah’s floor with his eyes closed
and hands cradling a small bird. Hannah held up a wrinkled hand
to stop him from moving. He flicked his tongue out, drawing it
back over the pits at the roof of his mouth. Whatever Magpie was
doing gave off heat, and James could tell how Magpie
concentrated on the steady flow of energy between him and the
bird.

A soft cheep broke the silence, and Magpie opened his eyes,

meeting James’ gaze with a tired smile.

“Snake, take the bird from Magpie and release it outside. I

don’t want it in here, flying around and crashing into things.”
Hannah waved at him.

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“Yes, ma’am.”
He sauntered into the living room, bent, and took the bird from

Magpie with a gentle touch. Their fingers rubbed together as
Magpie handed him the tiny creature. With infinite care, James
released the bird outside, waiting to see it fly away. Only when it
had disappeared beyond the building next door did he turn to look
at Magpie.

“What was wrong with it?”
Magpie rubbed his eyes and leaned back against Hannah’s

ancient couch, exhaustion evident in his slumped shoulders. “It
broke its wing running into Hannah’s window.”

After dropping their belongings on the floor, James sat on the

couch, and Magpie slid sideways to rest against his leg, laying his
head on James’ knee.

“You healed it?”
“Yeah.” Magpie gestured vaguely in Hannah’s direction. “The

woman’s a slave driver. I’ve been working non-stop since you
abandoned me.”

“If it was anything other than this time, I’d have taken years to

train you in all the ways you can heal.” Hannah shook her head.
“We don’t have time. You need to leave Triad City and Freak
Town. With the uprising starting, there’ll be nothing left when the
government takes over.”

“Uprising? What uprising?” Magpie glanced between James

and Hannah, his usually bright black eyes dull from the amount of
energy he used to heal the bird.

“Has it started?”
James nodded in answer to Hannah’s question. “Yes. From the

rumors I heard while I gathered my remaining things, the uprising
started the night the Association bosses were assassinated. The city

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is still reeling from those deaths, so I assume whoever did it will be
ready to make their move soon.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Why would the

government come in here? They’re still too busy trying to figure
out how much viable land is out there. They don’t have time to
worry about Triad City.” Magpie straightened and gripped James’
knee. “Talk to me.”

Running his hand over Magpie’s hair, James met Magpie’s

gaze with a grimace. “The government will come in when the
Freaks try to take the city by force. Obviously, this won’t be a
quiet, non-violent revolution. The bosses were just the beginning.”

“More deaths will come. The city will burn before the

government moves in to crack down.” Hannah wrapped a thin
shawl around her shoulders. “I was just a child when the bombs
dropped. As I grew up, I watched as we became more divided and
hurtful to each other than we ever were before the war.”

“And division is the reason why we need to get out of Triad

City. I don’t want to be here when everything comes down.” James
glanced over at Hannah. “You’ll be coming with us.”

Hannah laughed and shook her head. “No, Snake. I’m too old

to relocate. Besides, healers will be needed for this fight.”

“But it’s a death sentence,” he protested. “They’ll use you up

until you die yourself.”

“I know that, but it’s what I have to do.” Hannah heaved to her

feet. “Now you two must leave. Having you here will bring
attention to me sooner than I want it.”

He stood and helped Magpie up. “We’ll head out, but I wish

you’d change your mind, Hannah. This city is going to destroy
itself within a few days.”

She nodded, but shuffled to the door. After opening it, she

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gestured for them to leave. “I’ve seen the world turn on itself
before, Snake. Destruction seems to be a way of life for mankind.”

Bending, he picked up his duffle bag and slung it over his

shoulder. Magpie walked out in front of him. He paused next to the
old woman and, in a spurt of emotional weakness, kissed her
cheek.

“Thank you for all you’ve done over the years for me,

Hannah.”

“One of us should see what life is like outside this city, Snake,

and I’m counting on it being you.” She patted his shoulder.

Magpie stayed silent until they were on the sidewalk. The

darkness had descended like a thick curtain over Freak Town,
creating shadows and dangers around every corner. James clasped
Magpie’s hand and kept him close. They would have to find a
place to hole up for the night.

“What the hell is this uprising you were talking about?”
At least Magpie was aware enough to keep his voice down

when he asked.

“I’ll tell you everything after I get us off the street.”
His lover nodded, and shock rushed through James. Had

Magpie learned restraint while working with Hannah? Who knew
the younger man could curb his tongue?

He grinned down at Magpie as they rounded the corner, so he

never saw the attack coming. The first blow hit him low on his left
side, and he gasped as pain ricocheted through him. Dropping his
bag, he swung his fist, hoping like hell someone was standing
there. He grunted as his hand hit flesh and a soft yelp filled the air.

The fight was quick and harsh, each combatant fighting to

continue living, even if it was in a shitty place like Freak Town.
James wasn’t sure when Magpie joined the battle, but he heard

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swearing as things got more tense and the punches flew. He
couldn’t stop his grin as the familiar curse words filled the night.
That was the Magpie he knew and was falling in love with.

James finally got his fingers wrapped around one of his

assailant’s throats and jerked the man toward him. “I suggest you
call off your dogs or I’ll tell my friend to kill them.”

The man in his grip hissed, but didn’t say anything else.

Without worrying about the weight, he dragged the limp body in
his grasp out into the dim illumination of a waning street light. He
shook the man hard enough to rattle his teeth in his head, if the
man had any to rattle.

“Who sent you to kill me?”
Eyes darting one direction, then the other, but not seeing any

rescue in sight, the scrawny bum trembled. “He said you’d be easy
to take. Said you knew why. That he said he’d kill you if you ever
came back.”

The metallic scent of blood hit James and he casually pressed

his free hand to his side. He curled his lips when it came away wet.
“One of you fucking stabbed me.”

“Well, we shot you earlier, but obviously that didn’t work.”

Sarcasm dripped from the bum’s voice.

“Are you being smart with me?” James shook him again. “I’ll

snap your neck like a twig, so consider how you talk to me.”

The man dangling from James’ hand snorted. “If you don’t kill

me, someone else will. I’m a dead man either way.”

“Yeah, but I make it a lot more painful than who hired you.”

He flashed his fangs.

“True.” Fear skated through the man’s eyes.
“James?” Magpie stepped out of the alley where the fight had

taken place.

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“We need to get out of here. Tell your employer it didn’t work.

Also, that I’m coming for him.”

As much as he wanted to leave the city, he couldn’t ignore a

challenge like this. He’d deal with it and get the hell out of Triad
City before anything else happened. He tossed the man away and
turned to Magpie.

“What about the others?”
Magpie held up a bloody knife. “They won’t be bothering

anyone else.”

“Good.” He hissed as he leaned over to grab his bag.
“I’ll get that. You think of a place we can hole up for a while,

and I’ll take care of your wound as well.” Magpie tucked his knife
away and took a hold of the bag.

He didn’t argue, just let Magpie have his way. Wandering

down the street, he searched for a safe haven for the night.

“There.”
James pointed at an abandoned corner market. They slipped in

and headed for the back room. After shutting the door, Magpie
locked it behind them. James dropped clumsily to the floor, lying
on his uninjured side.

“I fucking hate this place,” he muttered as Magpie knelt beside

him.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get clear of here before too long.” Magpie

patted him on the shoulder. “I need to get your shirt off.”

He sat up and let Magpie strip off his shirt. Thank God the

radiation clouds kept the temperature high or he’d be finding a
hole to hibernate in. Magpie trailed his fingers down over his chest
to where the knife wound sliced through James’ side. He tensed as
Magpie poked at the edges.

“I wish I could see better.”

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“Give me my bag.”
Magpie dragged it over to him. James opened it and dug

around, trying to find what he was looking for by feel.

“Here it is.”
“Where the hell did you get one of these?” Magpie turned the

flashlight on. “They cost a fortune on the black market.”

“Pays to be a little paranoid. Bought it with the thought you

never know when you need your own light.”

Magpie held it so he could see the wound. “But you can see in

the dark, can’t you?”

He shook his head, even though Magpie wasn’t looking at him.

“Not like you think. I can see the heat people give off better at
night.”

A grunt was the only sign Magpie gave him that he was

listening. He dropped down, resting his cheek on his arm as he
stared at Magpie. He stayed relaxed as Magpie laid his hand over
the wound and warm tendrils of sensation slid through his flesh.

“You might feel some strange things,” Magpie warned him.
“Don’t worry about me. Healed before. Don’t use up too much

energy. Have to talk to someone and need you for back up.”

“I know what I’m doing, James.”
He smiled at the slight irritation in Magpie’s voice. The man

didn’t like being told how to do his job. Closing his eyes, James
allowed Magpie to do whatever he wanted without fighting. The
heat generated by the healing helped build up James’ reserves.

“Hey, James, wake up.”
Blinking, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the black

void above him. “Did I fall asleep?”

“For a little while. Healing does that to people.” Magpie helped

him sit up before settling down next to him.

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They leaned on each other for a few minutes while James

gathered his wits. He ran his hand over Magpie’s thigh. “How are
you doing?”

“Good. I rested while you slept.” Magpie traced patterns over

James’ skin. “Are we going out?”

James found his bag and searched through it again, pulling out

a gun to hand to Magpie.

“Take this. Most Freaks won’t see your knife as a threat, but a

gun will do maximum damage.”

“I assume you have bullets as well.” Magpie took the gun and

released the clip, checking to make sure it was loaded.

“Well, an empty gun would defeat the purpose of giving it to

you.” He heaved to his feet, dragging Magpie up with him. “We’ll
leave our stuff here and come back to crash until morning. I think
we’ll have some kind of plan by then.”

“Let’s go. It’s like a cloud of trouble is hanging over us, and I

don’t fucking want to be here when it unloads all the shit that’s
coming down.”

He pushed open the door and placed his hand on the small of

Magpie’s back, escorting him from the market. “You’re right. I’m
hoping we’ll be on a train out before the clouds open up.”

Magpie stopped in the market doorway and turned to look at

James. He slid a hand up James’ chest and around the back of his
head. Surging up on the tips of his toes, he brought their lips
together. James wrapped one arm around Magpie’s waist, burying
his other hand in Magpie’s hair to hold the man in place.

Only after the burning in his lungs told him he’d run out of air

did James let Magpie go. Chests heaving, they stared at each other
for a moment.

“We’re in this together.” It wasn’t a question.

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“I’ve got your back against the bad guys.” Magpie stroked a

trail over James’ cheek.

That was all James needed to hear. They would do what they

had to do to get out. Once they were in a new city, they’d figure
out where to go from there.

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 9

Standing just inside the doorway, James allowed his eyes time

to adjust to the low light levels before he moved and thanked
whatever breakdown in nature gave him the ability to see the heat
signatures of people like the snake he was called. He flicked his
tongue, tasting the fear and anger seething in the room. Magpie
lounged behind him, his nervous energy flaring and sparking in
James’ brain. Learning the lessons he needed to be a healer hadn’t
changed Magpie’s nature, and James was glad about that.

Magpie was a killer, first and foremost. It was what he had to

do to survive, and James would never blame the man for it. He’d
noticed how Hannah hadn’t made Magpie take the Healer’s oath.
She probably knew it wouldn’t do any good. There was no way
Magpie would help his enemies or not kill those who hurt him.

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“Snake, what brings you back to this fucking hell-hole?” a

voice called out from the other side of the room.

“Here we go,” he mumbled as he headed toward the man who

spoke.

“Right behind you, James.”
Magpie’s voice was low enough only he could hear it and the

fleeting touch of his lover’s hand over the small of his back made
James smile. Everyone in Freak Town called him Snake. By
calling him James, Magpie reminded him that he wasn’t just a
Freak anymore. He’d been someone different on the other side of
the Wall and he could be that person again. He hissed, letting the
younger man know he got the message.

“Where is he, Rat?”
Quick as lightning, he grabbed the scrawny creature huddled in

the corner of the bar and dragged him close. Rat’s beady eyes
darted from side to side, looking for support, but none came. The
strong ruled in Freak Town, and Snake was one of the strongest,
even if he had disappeared for a while.

“I don’t know where he is.” Rat held his hands out, showing he

meant no harm, while his feet dangling several inches from the
floor.

“Don’t bullshit me. Where the hell is Simian?”
“You should take your hands off him, Snake.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Magpie draw the gun

tucked in his waistband. A surge of pride mingled with relief
washed over James. He had back-up, and Magpie wouldn’t let
anyone ambush him.

Not looking away from Rat, he said, “Why should I do that?”
“Because he ain’t the one you’re looking for.”
With a negligent flip of his wrist, James sent Rat flying through

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the air to slam against the club’s back wall. He turned to see the
man leaning against the bar. Magpie’s sharply in-drawn breath
informed James that his partner had gotten a good look at Simian.
Even while slouching, Simian stood near eight feet tall and his
power was evident in the muscles creating an almost
overwhelming vision of brute force. James and Simian had always
tread carefully around each other when James lived in Freak Town.

Simian had him on strength and size, but they both knew that

with one strike of James’ fangs, the venom would kill the other
man, so they never challenged each other. James wasn’t going to
back down this time.

“You didn’t give me any warning about the uprising starting,

Simian.”

“The moment you stepped on the other side of the Wall, Snake,

you weren’t one of us anymore. I don’t owe you any warning.”
Simian sneered and eyed Magpie. “Especially when you work with
NFs like this one.”

Magpie snarled, stalking forward until he stood even with

James. “You have a problem with NFs?”

James rolled his eyes. What a stupid question. Everyone in

Freak Town had a problem with the NFs. He nudged Magpie, and
his lover glanced at him.

“Let me handle it,” he whispered.
Lowering his gun slightly, Magpie nodded, but tension

tightened his finger around the trigger enough to let Simian know
he wasn’t afraid of the giant. James returned his attention to his
rival.

“It doesn’t matter I worked for NFs. The boss of the West Side

Association knew I was a Freak when he hired me. Didn’t bother
him. Why should it bother you that I worked for him?”

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Simian shrugged his massive shoulders. “Don’t make no never

mind to me, though I’m surprised you dragged your scaly ass back
here instead of running when you had the chance.”

“Didn’t have a choice.” Simian knew why he didn’t have a

choice, so James wasn’t going to go into details.

“Why you here, Snake? I don’t think you came just to bust my

chops over no warning.” Simian gestured to the bartender. “Pour
us some of your best, Turtle. Might as well drink as friends tonight
because tomorrow, the fun really begins.”

James fought the shiver running down his back. The killing of

the crime bosses was the tip of the iceberg and things looked bleak
for Triad City. He took the glass Turtle slid him and raised it in
salute to Simian.

“What happens tomorrow?” Magpie asked, and James wanted

to clamp his hand over the man’s mouth. He should have known
Magpie wouldn’t be able to keep quiet.

A sip from his drink and silence made James wonder if Simian

was going to ignore Magpie’s question. Simian set the glass down,
straightened to his full height, and held out his arms, seeming to
embrace the whole crowd.

“Tomorrow is when the Wall falls and chaos reigns. Started the

ball rolling the other day. Killed the three crime bosses and now
their people are fighting amongst themselves, trying to figure out
who the big boss will be. They’ll be too busy shooting each other,
they won’t notice us slipping in to show them who the big man is
now.”

“Chaos in the city and you reaping the rewards? You plan on

becoming the head guy? What about your fellow Freaks? They get
anything outta this?” James nodded toward the Freaks in the bar.

Simian eyed him, and James stared back. The man had used the

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discontent simmering in Freak Town to start his own rise to power.
He’d probably promised all his followers money, power, and the
chance at equality, never meaning to make good on any of them.

As much as that bothered James, it wasn’t his fight anymore.

He wanted out of Triad City and to take Magpie with him. Time
was wasting. If what Simian said was true, James wanted to be on
a train out of the city before the wall came down.

Simian opened his mouth to say something, but James waved

his hand to stop him.

“I don’t care. That’ll be between you and them when they

realize you lied to them. I’m looking for a way to the train station.”

“Just walk through the city. I’m sure you and your pretty boy

here can make it. You blend in so well.” Simian smirked.

Before the man could react, James had him by the throat and

bent over the bar. He hissed, letting his fangs gleam in the low
light of the bar. The click of the hammer freed him from worrying
about anyone attacking him from behind. James allowed one drop
of venom to drip onto Simian’s face.

Wide-eyed, Simian didn’t struggle to free himself. They both

knew he might have gotten away, but James would have bitten him
before he did, and one injection of venom was all it would take to
kill him.

“Don’t tempt me, Simian. I’m not part of your uprising, never

wanted to be. Now you can help me get the hell out of this god-
forsaken city, or you can die right here. It doesn’t really matter to
me which one you choose because I’ll still be alive either way.”

“Guaranteed safe passage through Freak Town and a guide to

take you the fastest way to the train platform. If you’re attacked or
spotted in the city, it’s up to you to save your asses. My guide will
be told to save herself and leave you to die.” Simian managed to

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keep his voice from trembling, but the man’s muscles shuddered
under James’ touch.

“I need to discuss it with my partner. Who’s going to take us?

And when do you want our decision?”

He tightened his grip just enough to remind Simian who was

really in charge before backing away. Magpie stayed pressed to his
back, gun pointed at the crowd of Freaks behind them. Simian
drew to his full height and snarled at James while rubbing his
throat. James tilted his head, daring Simian to try something.

Glaring over James’ head, Simian ordered, “Go back to

drinking. Nothing’s happening here.”

The murmuring crowd crept back to their tables, but the noise

level was non-existent while James and Simian continued to face
off.

“You have until an hour before sunrise to make your choice.”

Simian gestured to someone standing in the shadows. “Lynx will
be your guide.”

James bit back his grimace. Lynx was a stocky female as feral

as her namesake. She’d get them through to the station, but she
wouldn’t help out in any kind of fight. Her main objective was to
survive and if that meant someone had to die, it was fine with her.
Could she have been the one to assassinate the crime bosses? He
knew better than to ask.

“How do I get word to you if we decide to go?”
“Show up outside here by the deadline. Lynx will wait around

until then. If you don’t show, she splits.” Simian nodded at the
woman, who gave a disinterested shrug.

“We’ve got a deal.” He didn’t offer to shake hands, just

grabbed Magpie’s elbow and hustled the man out of there.

Magpie didn’t say anything until they were far enough away

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from the bar to stop. James ducked into the abandoned corner
market, making his way to the back room where he shut and barred
the door behind them. He checked to make sure their stuff hadn’t
been disturbed.

Sliding to the floor, he hung his arms over his knees and

exhaled slowly. Magpie tucked the gun away before joining him.
He twitched when Magpie rested his hand on his arm.

“What was all that about? I thought you wanted to kill whoever

started the uprising.”

He shook his head. “I don’t care about the uprising, the Freaks,

or the NFs. All I care about is getting us out of this fucking city
before it explodes.”

“Understandable. But then why didn’t you take Simian up on

his offer right away? You could be getting out of this town tonight
instead of waiting until tomorrow.”

Gathering his courage, James lifted his head and met Magpie’s

gaze. He reached out and cupped the other man’s cheek. When had
Magpie stopped flinching every time James reached out for him?
James didn’t know, but he rejoiced. Touching Magpie during sex
was one thing. Being able to touch him in a moment like this eased
the constriction in James’ chest and settled something deep inside
his soul.

Magpie nuzzled into the palm of James’ hand and smiled.

“Why not go tonight?”

“I wasn’t going to make the decision and not talk to you. We’re

partners now, but I wasn’t sure how much you wanted to get out of
Triad City. You’ve lived here all your life, Magpie. You might
want to stay.”

“I thought you said if the crime associations find out I’m a

healer, they’ll force me to work for them?”

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He nodded. “Yeah. You’ll be a valuable asset. If you’re lucky,

you’ll get picked up by the West or East Side Associations because
they respect healers. The South Side will use you up until all your
power runs out and you die.”

A light gleamed in Magpie’s eyes, and James could almost hear

the wheels turning in the man’s brain.

“They’ll respect me?”
He should have realized that would catch Magpie’s attention.
“Sure, but no choice about working for them. Live in a golden

cage all the rest of your life. No freedom. Put guards on you.
Follow you wherever you went.” He shook his head. “I don’t think
you’d want to live like that.”

Magpie angled his head and narrowed his eyes, seeming to

think about the possibilities. Finally, he grinned. “You’re right. I
might be a magpie, but I can’t live in a cage. Besides, who will
take care of you if I’m not around?”

“You willing to go with me?
“I’ve stuck with you this long, James. I’m not cutting out on

you now, not when we’re close to the end.” Magpie pressed his
lips to James’. “Together, we make a good team.”

That was all James needed to hear.
“You’re my partner and the only person I trust. We’ll head to

Silver City out west. Freaks mingle freely with NFs there. Maybe
we can make a life for ourselves out there.”

They lay down, bodies entwined. Magpie rested his cheek on

James’ chest, and James buried his nose in Magpie’s curls. They
had time to rest before they needed to be back at the bar.

“I have money hidden in the city. Do you think we’ll be able to

stop by and pick it up on our way to the station?” Magpie shifted
closer.

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James enjoyed the warmth his lover gave off. “Yes. I had a

stash in Freak Town. I emptied it. Need everything we can get, so
whether Lynx likes it or not, we stop.”

“Okay. At least we won’t have to worry about money for a

while,” Magpie murmured, sleep stealing into his voice.

No, money wouldn’t be a problem. Once they got to Silver

City, they would search for jobs and see if they could live together
in a relatively normal society. He let his eyes close. Allowing his
body to rest would build up his energy reserves for the trip through
the city.

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 10

Magpie wrinkled his nose, trying to figure out why he shook. A

thought popped into his head and he shot awake. Were they having
an earthquake? Looking around, he noticed James standing next to
him, nudging him with his booted foot.

“What do you want, Lynx?”
Lynx? Sleep driven out of his head by the memory of who

Lynx was, Magpie jumped to his feet and squared off next to
James.

The female freak cringed at Magpie’s sudden moves, but she

didn’t strike out or run. She glared at James. “You gonna to take
Simian up on his offer?”

“Yes.” James’ voice held caution.
“I’m here to guide you through the city.”

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“Our deal was to meet an hour before daylight. Why are you

here? How’d you find us?”

“I trailed you from the bar. Kept an eye on you to make sure

you weren’t bothered by any of the other scum around here.” Her
eyes darted to the side as she paused.

James tensed, and Magpie wrapped his hand around the grip of

his gun.

“Simian isn’t going to honor the deal.” James sneered.
Lynx shook her head. “That ain’t it. Simian’s square. He’d do

it. There’s others who would like you dead, Snake. Don’t matter to
them that you’re leaving. They see you as dangerous to their
health.”

“I don’t care about them. Only getting the hell out before you

start another war.” James relaxed.

Magpie didn’t let go of his gun. It paid to be paranoid and he

didn’t trust Lynx any farther than he could throw her.

“Don’t matter to them,” Lynx repeated. “Simian sent me to get

you out before they come for you. Don’t want you to think he
reneged on your deal.”

Magpie glanced at James as the man bent to pick up the large

black duffle bag he’d been carrying since he came for Magpie.

“We’re going to trust her?”
James shot Lynx a look, and the female scooted over to stand

by the door. Magpie edged closer to James as the man
straightened.

“We don’t have a choice, Magpie. I don’t want to run the risk

and not get out of here before the Wall blows.”

He couldn’t argue with that because there wasn’t any way he

wanted to hang around while the people in the city tore themselves
apart. He hadn’t been around when the last war destroyed the

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world. The stories scared Magpie deep inside, though he would
never admit it, and he was afraid that was what was going to
happen in Triad City. Without the nuclear bombs, of course.

“Whatever you decide. I told you I’m with you wherever you

want to go. I trust you not to get me killed.” Magpie didn’t think.
He leaned forward and brushed a kiss over James’ cheek.

Lynx grunted. “We need to get going.”
James slung the bag over his shoulder and gestured for her to

lead the way. They left the building, caution in each step. In a way,
Lynx’s presence made Magpie happy about having another pair of
eyes that knew what didn’t fit in the area. His instincts would warn
him, but still it was Freak Town and something his nerves told him
was dangerous might be very harmless.

“Getting through the gate will be tricky.” Lynx shot a look at

them over her shoulder. “The guards don’t let any Freaks pass,
especially during the night. There are some weak spots in their
system, but finding them might take extra time.”

“I know of a place we can use. The guards don’t know about it,

or at least they didn’t when I used it last time.” James sounded
reluctant to announce that fact.

“We wondered how you got out all those years ago.”
James shrugged. “Found it by accident really.”
“Which direction?” Lynx waited for James to point to the east.
“It’s behind the White Flag building.”
She nodded and took off. James and Magpie stayed close, but

kept enough distance between them in case she was leading them
into an ambush.

“Why didn’t you mention the other gate?” Magpie lowered his

voice. He didn’t want to make too much noise, in case someone
was looking for them.

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“I didn’t trust anyone knowing because they could’ve used it to

go into the city and cause more trouble.” James quirked the corner
of his mouth. “I guess I didn’t have to worry about that.”

“Looks that way.” Magpie checked how far ahead of them

Lynx had gotten. “How did you find out about the second
entrance?”

“Purely by accident. I was stalking this little Freak that always

seemed to have a large amount of black market stuff. Right before
I struck, he slipped through this narrow door. At first, I couldn’t
even imagine it would lead to the city. Who would have been
idiotic enough to leave such an entrance? If Freaks like Rat or
Simian knew about it, they would have used it to terrorize the NFs.
I’ll freely admit NFs aren’t my favorite people, but I always
figured if they left me alone, I’d leave them alone.”

“Yet you ended up working for one.” Hearing James say he

was stalking someone didn’t bother Magpie. As an assassin, he’d
had to do his fair share of hunting humans.

“That’s irony for you.” James glanced ahead to where Lynx

stood, pressed against the corner of a building, peering around at
something in the alley beyond. “I wonder who’s waiting for us.”

“Do you think she set us up?”
Magpie loosened the gun at the small of his back. James

reached up and slipped a long knife from the back collar of his
jacket. It eased Magpie to know James didn’t wander about
unarmed. The man was deadly enough with his bare hands and
teeth, but having a weapon made of steel added a level of
protection.

After they slid up to Lynx, Magpie asked, “What’s going on?”
“Rat and some of the Freaks from the club are waiting.” Lynx

jerked her head toward the end of the alley.

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“How do you know?” The dark night hindered Magpie’s

eyesight.

James did his flickering tongue thing and nodded. “Definitely

four Freaks. One is Rat, but I don’t sense Simian. Going to trust
you didn’t set us up. Rat hired those bums to kill me and finally
got the courage to try it himself.”

Lynx didn’t seem overly concerned. Maybe she understood

James wasn’t interested in killing her, but Magpie had no restraint.
If she’d led them into an ambush, then she would die with the rest
of them. Magpie didn’t believe in leniency. Give anyone an inch,
and they’d try to take a mile. Giving up any of his freedom didn’t
sit well with Magpie.

The big guy edged around Lynx and slinked into the alley. The

shadows absorbed James, giving Magpie a hard time trying to
figure out where he was. Before Magpie followed James into the
alley, he gripped Lynx’s arm. She glared down at his hand before
looking up at him, her unhappiness at his touch showing in her
eyes. He didn’t care.

“Anything happens to him, I’m killing you first.” He squeezed

his fingers tighter, leaving bruises behind. “He might be willing to
trust you, but I’m not.”

Something flashed in Lynx’s eyes. Magpie couldn’t tell

whether it was annoyance or respect, and it didn’t matter. He
wasn’t planning to stick around much longer. They would get to
the station in time to catch the first train out of Triad City and there
would be no looking back.

A low hiss from the alley caught his attention, and Magpie

dropped Lynx’s arm to head toward James where he stood in the
deep shadows halfway down the alley. He barely nudged the man’s
foot as he fell in next to him.

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His lover nodded and leaned down to whisper in his ear, “Two

on each side. Guess they were going to ambush us when we went
through.”

“Are we going to take them or just detour around?”
Avoiding a confrontation wasn’t cowardly. Stretched for time,

fighting the other freaks would take minutes they didn’t have.
Yielding the alley was the smartest move. Lynx padded up to
them.

“Here.” She handed James three wooden tokens. “These will

get you past the three gates leading to the station. I’ll deal with
these idiots.”

“Why? We can easily get around them to the entrance.” James

handed the tokens to Magpie, who tucked them into his jacket
pocket.

“Simian doesn’t like people disobeying his orders. He said you

weren’t to be touched until dawn, and Rat should know better than
to try this.”

“You can take on four of them?”
She shot Magpie a “get real” look. “I’ve taken on bigger and

meaner freaks than these four.” She shoved him back toward the
street. “Now get going. Morning is coming, and you need to be on
the other side of the Wall, heading to the station by then.”

“Thanks, Lynx.” James offered his hand, and she shook it.
“Get your ass out of Triad City, Snake. Find a better life than

the pile of shit we have here.”

James nodded once before turning and merging into the

shadows again. Magpie gripped Lynx’s shoulder tight for a second.
Most of the mutants still freaked him out, but he was slowly
coming to understand they weren’t all bad, just different.

“Magpie…” James gestured for him.

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“Coming.”
He stuck to James like a tick to a dog, or as close as he thought

a tick would stick to a dog. The radiation had killed all the ticks,
along with most everything else for a while after the bombs.

There were moments when James disappeared so completely

into the shadows that, if Magpie didn’t have a hand on the man’s
back, he wouldn’t know he was inches in front of him. The way
James moved so silently made Magpie realize just how deadly the
big man was. Like a snake in the rainforests, James was at home in
this urban jungle and just as lethal.

They halted in front of a section of the Wall and James dropped

his duffle bag. Magpie kept his gun out. No point in not being
ready, in case someone else followed them.

“Don’t they patrol the Wall?”
“Not in this direction. We’ll come out in the worst part of the

West Side…almost as dangerous as Freak Town. They don’t force
the guards to come here, not even heavily armed.”

“How far away from the main gate are we?” He tried picturing

a map in his mind of Triad City.

“About six blocks.” A soft click sounded, and James exhaled

sharply. “Got it.”

A thin section of the Wall slid to the side, revealing the

matching darkness of the West Side. God, the whole fucking city
was depressing and, as much as Magpie thought he’d never say it,
he was glad to be leaving. It didn’t matter where they went; he just
wanted away from here. The oppression weighing him down was
more than the radiation clouds and general despair hanging over
every inhabitant.

“I’ll go first and check it out. Toss the duffle bag through and

then you come through when I tell you it’s okay.”

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Magpie started to protest, but bit his tongue. James’ caution

had nothing to do with Magpie’s ability to take care of himself. He
was better equipped to protect himself in the dark than Magpie
was. Nodding, he waved James forward.

Instead of unnerving Magpie, the flickering thing James did

with his tongue turned him on. He shifted as his cock hardened.
Shit, this was so not the time to get an erection. Grinning to
himself, he shook his head. He remembered the night he was shot,
slung over James’ shoulder, staring down at the man’s ass and
getting a hard-on. It seemed he had great timing.

“Toss the duffle through. It’s clear at the moment.”
He shoved the heavy duffle through the opening. “What the

hell do you have in there besides the gun and the flashlight?”

James took it from him and grinned. Magpie managed to keep

from wincing. No wonder the man rarely smiled. Hiding those
fangs had to be a bitch.

“Money and weapons. Won’t make it through downtown

without getting spotted.”

Shouts and screams rose from the tar thick darkness behind

him, and Magpie hesitated.

“They all deserve whatever they get, Magpie. Remember that.

They aren’t innocent in any of this.”

Lifting his head, he met James’ gaze. Understanding and icy

compassion hovered in his partner’s eyes. Magpie had killed men
with cold-blooded precession and no doubt in his right to do so.
Yet there had always been a part of him, deep inside, that mourned
the loss of life. So many had died during the war and since then, it
seemed almost a crime against nature to kill any more.

“Survival of the strongest.” James reached through the gateway

and cupped Magpie’s cheek. “We’ll survive because we’re strong.

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Do what we have to do to live.”

He nodded and followed James into Triad City. Worrying

about those they left behind wouldn’t get them out of harm’s way.
If he felt an overwhelming need, he could stop at one of the
worship places after they left the city and say a pray for their souls.

“When you killed, did you feel bad later on?” Magpie wasn’t

sure why he asked.

James rested his large hand on the nape of Magpie’s neck and

squeezed lightly. Oddly, he took comfort from that touch.

“No, I didn’t.”
He ducked his head. Okay, guess that meant he had to turn in

his hired assassin badge. One swift almost unnoticeable movement
later, he found himself pinned to the wall by a heavy body.
Snarling under his breath, he looked up to see James staring down
at him.

“What?”
“The part of your soul that allowed you to become a Healer is

also the part that feels guilt for the lives you took.” James rested
their foreheads together. “It doesn’t make you weak or soft. It
makes you human.”

He rested his hands on James’ shoulders. “How do you know

that?”

James’ chuckle washed over Magpie’s face. “Might be a

mutant, but can grasp emotions. Maybe not as deeply or as quickly
as humans do, but I get them and I know you.”

“You know me?” Magpie frowned. “We’ve only spent ten days

together and, for three days, I was hanging out with Hannah, the
wicked witch of the West, while you ran around Oz. How can you
know me?”

Rough hands cradled his face, and he met James’ mesmerizing

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gaze.

“I’ve fucked you and hid with you. Before all this, you were an

acquaintance. A guy I nodded at when we met in the street. Now
you’re the only person I want watching my back. I trust you like
I’ve never trusted anyone before.”

He blinked, warmed by James’ admission and one of the

longest sentences James had ever uttered.

“We’re running toward a better place.”
Swallowing, Magpie thought about what James had said earlier

when they were deciding to take Simian’s deal about them being
partners. Was that true? They had spent almost two weeks hiding
from everyone who wanted a piece of them. Survival had been
their only purpose. Once they were out of Triad City, they
wouldn’t be running on adrenaline, and Magpie would have time
to think about what he was doing.

Would he decide being with James wouldn’t be worth the

stares and prejudice he’d encounter? Would his mind finally accept
what his body had been telling him all along? James and Magpie
were a perfect fit in every way, yet he couldn’t promise something
when he didn’t know if he could make it a reality.

“I wish I could promise you that I’ll have your back when we

get to wherever we’re going, but I can’t. I don’t know how I’m
going to be feeling when we’re no longer fighting to survive.” He
surged up on his toes and brushed a kiss over James’ lips. “I will
promise you that I won’t leave you until we’re safe. After which,
I’ll figure things out.”

FREAKS IN LOVE

CHAPTER 11

James tilted his head, studying Magpie for a few seconds

before he nodded and stepped back. “I can’t ask for more than
that.”

And he couldn’t expect Magpie to declare his undying love

when they hadn’t been more than associates before the events of
the past couple of weeks. Did James really believe it was love? Or
was he wishing for something he’d never had before and seeing it
in the light of Magpie’s eyes?

Snorting softly, he shook his head. God, when had he become

such a sap? Love didn’t exist in the world anymore. It hadn’t since
the war, when it had become obvious that it was kill or be killed
and only the strongest survived. If you wanted to live, you hooked
up with someone more than capable of watching your back. At

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least, Magpie was tough enough for that, plus now that he was a
Healer, he could keep James from dying of infections or wounds.

Magpie shot him a quick glance, and he nodded, reassuring

Magpie. They had wasted too much time. Getting to the station
was the most important issue at the moment.

“Ready,” he murmured, hefting the duffle bag up and slinging

it over his shoulder, while gesturing for Magpie to follow him.

“Do we have time to pick up my cash?”
“Is it on the way to the station?” James swiveled his head back

and forth, trying to see people before they saw them.

“Yeah, my main stash is in an abandoned building just outside

the first checkpoint. I have smaller stashes throughout the city, but
no point in running around gathering that up.” Magpie smiled.
“Someone else can use it.”

James twitched the duffle on his shoulder. “I grabbed my

biggest stash when we were in Freak Town. Adding in what you
have, we should have more than enough to get a stake in Silver
City when we land there.”

Silver City might be more civilized than the other major cities,

but money still spoke the loudest. Black market currency would
help them get past the checkpoints as well, since James knew the
Associations would still be looking for him and Magpie.

“Let’s go. You lead the way to your stash. Remember, it’s early

in the morning, so there won’t be a lot of people moving about. We
need to make sure we don’t stand out.”

Magpie eyed him, and he grinned.
“Should get some different clothes. Need a hat or something.

Stand out more than you in this part of the city.”

“Good idea.” Magpie glanced around them. “I know where we

are. There should be a store about three blocks to the west. They

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carry clothes, among other things, that we could pick up. When we
get there, let me go in. I’ll get us set up.”

“Fine with me.” He gestured for Magpie to lead the way.
They needed to get moving and couldn’t risk the police or any

member of the Associations spotting them. Moving from shadow
to darkened alley, Magpie showed how he’d managed to survive as
an assassin for so long. Each move calculated to cause the least
disturbance and draw the least amount of attention. James kept his
eye on their back trail, making sure no one followed them.

“Here we are.” Magpie motioned to a rundown building with a

blinking neon sign, advertising “Open 24 Hours” in faded red and
blue.

James crouched at the opening of the alley across the street and

unzipped his duffle. He pulled out two gold coins, handing them to
Magpie before straightening. “You know what we need. Buy them,
but don’t let them think you have more than that, or they could
decide to rob you.”

“Which would suck for them.” Magpie grinned and saluted as

he checked both directions before heading to the shop.

Slipping back into the shadows, James hunched over, trying to

make himself looking smaller.

* * *

Whistling, Magpie carried his bags and crossed the street.

Working people were starting to crowd the sidewalks, but when he
strolled past the alley entrance, he felt someone fall into step with
him. Without looking, he handed one of the bags to James.

“I couldn’t find any pants that would fit you, but I figured

yours would be fine. There’s a sweatshirt and a hat in there for

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you.” He gestured toward a laundry mat. “We can change in
there.”

Ten minutes later, they emerged from the building. Magpie

wore torn jeans, a black T-shirt, and a cracked leather jacket. The
seams of the sweatshirt James wore protested as it stretched almost
past endurance. He pulled the hat down over his forehead while
flipping the hood up over it, trying to hide as much of his face and
tattoos as he could.

Magpie had butchered his hair in the laundry mat bathroom.

His dark hair was cut to the scalp in some places and straggly in
others. He ran his hand over it and grimaced. “I look like a
radiation reject.”

James grunted. “Just hair. It’ll grow back.”
“Says the man who doesn’t have any hair,” he muttered.
“You look fine. Completely different from how you looked

before and that’s the whole point.” James slung his duffle bag over
his shoulder and nodded in the direction of the first checkpoint.

“Okay. My stash is in the third building, bright red and dirty

yellow. If you want, I’ll go in and grab my stuff while you hang
out downstairs.” Magpie led the way, trying not to react to the fact
he could feel James eyeing his ass.

It was still early enough in the morning that people were

rushing to work and didn’t pay much attention to them as they
made their way toward the checkpoint. If anyone seemed a little
more interested than necessary, Magpie warned them off with his
best “get the hell away from me” glare. James kept his head down,
not wanting to frighten anyone too much.

James grunted and peeled off to lean in a doorway. He tugged

something out of his pocket, and Magpie jerked when a tiny flame
flared. When had James picked up cigarettes?

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Trying to kill James seemed to be a reoccurring theme in Freak

Town, but the man had survived. Maybe being resilient was a
genetic trait James had picked up during his mutation. James could
take care of himself. All Magpie had to do at the moment was
gather his money and get the hell back to James.

He slipped into the building, slinking up the stairs and stopping

every few feet to listen. Was someone following him? There
weren’t any footsteps, so he continued up several more flights of
stairs until he got to the seventh floor. The door to the floor hung
by a hinge, but Magpie made it through without disturbing the
panel. He didn’t want to alert anyone to his presence.

Any progress he made was nerve-wracking, not wanting to give

anyone a reason to follow him and steal his money. He kept one
hand wrapped around the grip of his gun and the other tight on the
bag he’d picked up for his stuff. By the time he got to the
apartment at the end of the hall, he swore he was twitching with
the need to just turn around and run.

Foolish really. No one, not even any members of the East Side

Association, knew about this place. He’d done all he could to keep
it secret. When he stopped in front of the door, he set the bag on
the floor and crouched down on one knee, fiddling with his laces
as he got the key to the lock out from the inside of his shoe.

Straightening, he breathed deeply before unlocking the door

and slamming it back against the wall to insure no one stood
behind it waiting for him. Nothing happened and he rushed inside,
locking the door behind him.

He went straight back to the bedroom and shoved the mattress

out of the way. Lifting the loose floorboard, he whispered a silent
prayer that his stash was still there. The dull gleam of metal caught
his eye and he released a soft sigh. Good, it hadn’t been taken. He

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set the board aside and pulled the box out. Quickly, he emptied the
gold coins into his bag. Kilkenny had paid him in black market
currency, but Magpie didn’t believe in keeping all his wealth in
one form.

He tossed the box over his shoulder when he finished and

zipped up the bag, slinging it onto his back as he stood. Glancing
around, he said a quiet good-bye to the place he’d grown up in. It
hadn’t been much of a home once his mother left, but it was the
only place he could ever remember feeling safe. Well, until he was
shot and carted off in the arms of a large, bald, and tattooed man.
Now the only time he felt any security was when he was with
James. Strange that a Freak would have that affect on him.

A whistle sounded, and he stalked to the window facing the

street below. James stood across the street. By the angle of James’
head, Magpie could tell the man was looking up. He gestured
slightly, and James whistled again, letting him know James saw
him.

Magpie raced out of the apartment, not taking the time to shut

the door. There wasn’t anything back there important to him now.
Out of the building and across the street to where James leaned
against a brick wall.

“Got it.” He hefted his bag to draw James’ attention to it.
“Good. We better get going. We’re going to be cutting it close

as it is.” James held out his hand. “Give me the gun.”

They managed the exchange without a hitch, and James tucked

the weapon back into his bag. After that, they sauntered toward the
first checkpoint. Magpie pressed one of the wooden tokens into
James’ hand.

How had Simian gotten hold of the tokens? Freaks didn’t ride

the train in or out of Triad City. If any of them wanted to leave,

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they braved a breakout from the border fence surrounding the
entire city. The Associations might not have wanted the Freaks
mixing with the normal population, but they didn’t want to risk
losing them either. The government sent money to the cities
according to body count, and Freaks counted along with Non-
Freaks in Triad City. The crime bosses had found a use for their
Freaks.

“Don’t act nervous or anything. Just do as you’re told,” James

murmured as they approached the guard.

He nodded, but stayed silent. The guard seemed distracted and

he waved them through with only a short glance at them. The man
was listening to something coming over the radio attached to his
ear.

“One down. Two to go.” James squeezed Magpie’s shoulder

briefly before taking the lead to the next checkpoint.

They handed over their tokens at the second gate and this guard

studied them slightly longer than the first one. Magpie tensed,
getting ready to run, but the guard waved them on, seemingly
satisfied.

“Last one, then freedom.”
They stood in line the longest for the last checkpoint leading to

the train platform. Magpie saw the white puffs of smoke coming
from the engine car and he wanted to shove all the NFs out of the
way. Getting on that train had become the most important thing he
could do at the moment.

When they got to the front of the line, the two guards asked

them questions about their destination. Magpie knew it was a
stalling tactic when another guard joined them.

“Would you gentlemen step to the side please?” one of the

guards asked them. “We have a few more questions to ask you.”

FREAKS IN LOVE

Magpie tensed, not sure what to do about that. James took the

decision away from him when the big man shoved two of the
guards out of the way and bolted toward the train, dragging
Magpie with him.

“We make it on that train, Magpie, we’re home free.”
He didn’t know how that worked, but he wasn’t going to hang

around for the guards to grab him. All of them worked for the
Associations, so they’d keep an eye out for him and James. He was
just surprised the first two checkpoints let them through so easily.

Knocking people over and pushing them out of their path

slowed them slightly, but they got to the train just as the conductor
called, “All aboard.” James leapt onto the caboose platform,
dropped his bag and whirled, holding out a hand to Magpie. The
train started gaining speed and pulling away from the station.

“Jump,” James ordered.
Magpie trusted James would catch him. Leaving his feet, he

launched himself at James. Large hands encircled his wrists and
yanked him up, causing him to slam into James’ chest. James hit
the door of the caboose with a grunt.

Not leaving James’ embrace, Magpie glanced over his shoulder

to see the guards yelling from the slowly retreating train station.
He met James’ gaze with a grin.

“We made it.”
Before James could say anything, a huge explosion rocked all

of Triad City. A cloud of gray smoke rose from the vicinity of the
Wall and Freak Town. Magpie ducked, clinging to James for a
moment. His heart raced and his mouth went dry. Was that how
everyone felt when the first bombs dropped a generation ago? Did
the fear of not knowing what was going on cause them to tremble?

“Just in time, it seems.”

FREAKS IN LOVE

100

James kept an arm around Magpie, even when bending to pick

up his own bag. They entered the caboose, making their way
through the different cars to an empty passenger car. After stowing
their bags, they dropped into their seats and stared at each other for
a second.

“What happened back there?” Magpie waved a hand behind

them toward the rapidly disappearing city. The train had gained
speed faster than normal. Could it be because the engineers wanted
to get free of the city before the situation got worse?

“Simian blew the Wall.” James entwined their fingers. “It was

a good thing we made it to the train when we did.”

He nodded. “I certainly don’t want to be in Triad City after

that. That city is going to eat itself alive.”

Nodding, James stared down at their fingers.
“You’re thinking about Hannah, aren’t you?” He stroked his

thumb over James’ knuckles.

“Yes. I wish she’d come with us.” James shot him a quick

smile before going back to studying their hands.

Magpie laid his cheek on James’ shoulder. “I know, but she

made her choice, James. We couldn’t force her to come with us.”

James shrugged.
“Are we safe? They won’t toss us off the train?”
“No. We’ll buy our tickets from the conductor. See, even

without the Wall going, the guards couldn’t come aboard the
train.”

“Why not?” Magpie snuggled closer, wishing there wasn’t an

armrest between them.

“The trains are government-run. None of the cities has

authority over them. We’re free now, Magpie.”

He glanced up to meet James’ eyes and smiled, trying to figure

FREAKS IN LOVE

101

out how he felt about that. “Free. I’m not sure what that feels like.”

“Neither am I, but we’ll figure it out together, right?”
The insecurity in James’ voice brought a surge of protective

emotions from Magpie. Not caring if anyone caught them, he
straddled James’ lap and cradled the man’s smooth cheeks in his
hands. James’ hands rested on his hips. Brushing a kiss over
James’ lips, he considered what to say.

“I know I told you I couldn’t promise if I’d stick around once

we got out to Silver City.”

James swallowed, trepidation shining in his eyes.
Magpie placed a hand on James’ chest. “You don’t have to

worry about that. It’ll be us against the world for as long as you’ll
have me around. Two Freaks in love. How does that sound?”

“Just about perfect to me.”
They sealed Magpie’s promise with a kiss, traveling away from

the past into, hopefully, a brighter future.

T. A. C

HASE

T. A. Chase lives a life without boundaries. Being fascinated by
life and how different we all are, he writes about the things that
make us unique. He finds beauty in all kinds of love and enjoys
sharing those insights. He lives in the Midwest with his partner of
twelve years. When he isn’t writing, he’s watching movies, reading
and living life to the fullest.

* * *

Don’t miss Nowhere Diner: Finding Love

by T. A. Chase,

available at AmberQuill.com!

Leaving Minnesota, Timothy Gapin doesn’t have any plans except
getting as far away from all the memories as he can before his
money runs out. His secret lover has married, breaking his heart
and making him chose a life in the open rather than a relationship
built on lies.

Little does Tim know that four days later he would grab dinner at a
diner and find a place to stop. Somehow this diner in the middle of
nowhere becomes his home and the people who work there his

family. In addition to the workers at the diner, Tim meets Bernie
Capley, a long-haul trucker who isn’t all he seems to be.

Falling in love with Bernie is easy for Tim, but the past has a way
of barging into the present, forcing decisions that affect their
future…

MBER

UILL

RESS

, LLC

OLD

TANDARD IN

UBLISHING

UALITY

OOKS

OTH

RINT AND

LECTRONIC

ORMATS

CTION

DVENTURE

USPENSE

HRILLER

CIENCE

ICTION

ARK

ANTASY

AINSTREAM

OMANCE

ORROR

ROTICA

ANTASY

GLBT

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YSTERY

ARANORMAL

ISTORICAL

IRECT

AVE

www.AmberQuill.com

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