Kir, page 1
part #14 of Gillham Pack Series
Letting people in is never easy, but sometimes you have to in order to be happy.
Kir is one of the exotic shifters rescued by Craig. He never went home, choosing to stay with the Gillham pack, but he never really integrated himself into the pack. He wanted to make sure the pack wouldn’t betray him like his skulk had. He took his time to observe, and he finally decided it was time to make friends.
Quinn knows he’s a prickly bastard. He’s had to hide behind that façade for most of his life, and now he can’t step out from behind it, not that he wants to. It feels safer to keep most people at arm’s length. He didn’t expect to find his mate when Kameron called him and Malik to help with the rival council, though, and he knows Kir is probably the only one who can wiggle his way into his heart if he lets his guard down.
Kir does his best to get under Quinn’s shell, but when the man punches him and tells him to stay away, he gets the message, even though he still hopes he’ll be able to change Quinn’s mind. He knows he has a great opportunity when Kameron assigns him as a bodyguard for Quinn, but will he be able to protect Quinn and make him fall in love with him? Will Quinn finally let someone in, or will he stay safely ensconced in his hard shell?
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Kir
Copyright © 2016 Catherine Lievens
ISBN: 978-1-4874-0768-1
Cover art by Latrisha Waters
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Kir
Gillham Pack Book Fourteen
By
Catherine Lievens
Dedication
As always, thanks to Laura and Tanya, and to Robin this time around. And to my family.
Chapter One
Kir watched Quinn and Simon walk down the stairs, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off Quinn. He hadn’t expected Quinn to let Simon dress him up, and especially to let Simon put make-up on him. Of course, the make-up was only eyeliner as far as Kir could see, but Simon had even glued a fake beard on Quinn’s chin. It would have been funny if Quinn hadn’t looked so uncomfortable.
Ever since Kir had found out Quinn was his mate, he’d started observing him. He was probably one of the few who could see how uncomfortable Quinn was. For everyone else, his flippant façade was perfect.
Simon stopped to talk to Mal briefly, then headed toward Malik and Kir. As soon as Simon got there, Malik wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close to his side. Kir ignored the pang of envy that tightened his chest. He smiled at Simon as Simon looked him up and down and asked, “And what are you dressed as?”
Kir crossed his arms on his chest to make his muscles bulge. “Harem master.”
It had been fun to decide what he’d dress as. He didn’t want the costume to be too common or too covering, and this one was perfect. The pants were comfortable and light, if a bit revealing, and the only thing he wore on the upper part of his body was a sleeveless vest that was the same ruby color as the pants. The vest didn’t even close, so Kir’s body was on display, especially with the golden bracelets he was wearing around the upper part of his arms. It wasn’t something he normally enjoyed, but he knew it would make Quinn look at him, and that was his goal. Quinn couldn’t ignore him forever, and Kir would take advantage of that.
“That’s... it’s only so you could have all that skin on display, huh?” Simon asked.
Kir smiled at him. “Yup. I need to woo Quincy in some way.”
Simon patted Kir’s arm and looked toward Quinn. He was glaring their way, but Kir wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t have heard Kir calling him Quincy from where he was, and Kir didn’t want to believe it was just because Simon was touching him. He probably hated Simon for putting him in a Jack Sparrow costume.
Kir beamed at him, just because he could and he knew it would annoy Quinn to no end, and Quinn’s scowl deepened.
“You’re going to get him sooner or later,” Simon said.
“Oh, I know. I’m going to make him cave, no matter how long it takes me.” It wasn’t like Kir had anything else to do anyway. He was a pack enforcer, but he wasn’t always working, and he didn’t have that many friends. It left him plenty of time to woo Quinn.
Simon smiled. “I know. I think you’ll be good for him.”
Kir shrugged. “Obviously. We’re mates.”
“You’re going to need a lot of perseverance,” Malik said, his gaze on Quinn, who was drinking from a red plastic cup. “He might be your mate, but he’s not an easy person. He’ll try to push you away as hard as he can.”
Kir nodded. “I know, and I’m ready for it. Don’t worry.”
Malik didn’t look convinced. “He can be hurtful when he wants to be. He’ll try to hurt you to see how much he can push before you react or leave.”
“I won’t leave. There’s nothing much he can say to hurt me.”
“What happened to you?”
Kir waved. “The usual. Sold by my skulk, spent some time in a lab before being freed by Craig and coming here.”
“You didn’t go home.”
“No.”
Kir wasn’t about to explain why to Malik, even though he was pretty sure Simon had already told him about his skulk. Not that Simon knew much about what had happened. Kir had only told him he’d been betrayed, but that was all, and for now, it was enough. He wanted his mate to be the only person to know what had happened exactly, and he wasn’t sure Quinn would ever want to hear it.
Malik finally nodded. “Good. Don’t let him push you away. He needs you, even if he doesn’t know it.”
Simon rose on his tiptoes, grinned, and kissed Kir’s cheek. The kiss was a bit too close to Kir’s mouth for Kir to be comfortable with it, especially in front of Malik, but Malik just laughed. Simon took Malik’s hand and pulled him away to dance, leaving Kir alone.
Kir looked around. He’d come only because he’d known Quinn would be there, but now that the only two guests he considered friends were gone, he wasn’t sure what to do. He could talk to the other guests. Corbin wasn’t there, and Kir wasn’t sure he’d come. He couldn’t imagine Corbin being dressed up, but he knew Jago would try to make it happen.
Someone stopped in front of him and Kir looked down. Quinn was standing there, and Kir couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up. Quinn’s scowl deepened when Kir laughed, but Kir grabbed his wrist before he could stomp away. “Sorry. It’s just, the beard.”
The scowl diminished, and Quinn scratched at the tuft of hair stuck on his chin. “I hate it. It itches.”
“You look good, though.” Kir didn’t hide the fact that he was staring at Quinn. He let his gaze roam from Quinn’s feet to the top of his head. “Different.”
Quinn snorted. “Of course you’d like me looking different.”
“I like you looking like yourself, too. This is fun, though.”
“It’s not. It itches, and I look ridiculous.”
“You look sexy.”
Kir wasn’t sure Quinn believed him, and he wasn’t surprised when Quinn protested.
“I have make-up on.”
“So?”
“That’s not sexy.”
Kir arched a brow. “I think it is. I told you, you look good.”
“I probably look girly.”
Kir used the hold he still had on Quinn’s wrist to pull him closer. Quinn’s eyes widened a fraction and he didn’t resist—Kir hadn’t given him any time to. Kir knew that was the only reason he’d managed to pull Quinn close enough to be able to hug him and keep him pressed against his chest.
Quinn’s free hand rose and he tried to push away, but Kir wrapped his arm around Quinn’s waist, pushing Quinn’s arm behind his back and blocking his other hand there.
Quinn struggled, but Kir ignored him and leaned forward. He ran his nose along Quinn’s jaw and Quinn inhaled sharply. Kir smiled and nuzzled Quinn’s earlobe, gently biting on it when Quinn started struggling again.
Quinn stopped moving.
“I told you, I find you sexy, be it in this costume or without it. It’s taking all I have not to drag you upstairs to find an empty room and peel those clothes off you.”
“Let me go,” Quinn said. His voice was mostly steady—mostly. Kir heard the slight trembling, though, and he loved that Quinn was reacting to him. As much as Quinn had kept his distance and tried to look like he didn’t care, Kir knew it wasn’t the truth. Quinn cared. He had to. Kir was his mate, and even Quinn’s human side was fighting that tooth and nail, his animal si de wanted Kir.
“Why?” Kir asked.
“Because I don’t like you.”
“We’re mates.”
“So? It doesn’t mean I have to like you or do anything with you, not if I don’t want to.”
“Are you trying to tell me you don’t like this?” Kir asked, his voice soft. He licked Quinn’s neck, making sure to touch the spot where mating bites usually were given.
Quinn shivered, then pushed harder against Kir’s chest.
Kir let him go and watched him stomp away. He knew he probably shouldn’t have pushed so much. It had spooked Quinn, but he hadn’t been able to resist the tiny hint of what sex and mating could be with Quinn.
It would be a battle, like everything seemed to be in Quinn’s life. Kir would have preferred it to be easier, but Quinn was who fate had deemed perfect for him. He wouldn’t be Quinn if things were easy.
* * * *
Quinn hurried to the kitchen in hopes he’d be alone there, but of course he wasn’t. The entire ground floor of the house was full of people talking, laughing, and drinking. Small party my ass.
He needed to put some distance between Kir and himself, though, so he sat at the kitchen table and ignored the looks it brought him. He glared at the table as if it had offended him and heard the other people in the kitchen scurrying away. He probably should feel guilty, but he really didn’t care. They could send Simon or Mal in if they needed something and were too scared of him to come get it themselves.
Quinn didn’t know how much time had passed when the chair in front of him scraped on the floor as someone moved it to sit. He looked up, ready to scare away whoever it was, and grimaced when he saw it was one of the few people who weren’t afraid of him.
“What do you want, Simon?”
Simon tapped his fingers on the table. “Why are you sulking in here?”
“I’m not sulking.”
Simon snorted. “Please. You look like your mother took away your lollipop and put you in timeout.”
Quinn shrugged. He did feel like he was behaving childishly, and he knew his parents would be ashamed of him right now. He started to get up. “I’m going home. It’s obvious this is not a good place for me to be.”
“Oh, shut up and sit down, Quincy.”
Quinn scowled, but Simon wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He should have been more careful and less friendly with him, because now he was stuck with Simon as a friend, and Simon was stubborn as fuck.
“What do you want?” Quinn asked, crossing his arms on his chest and doing his best to make Simon run even though he knew it wouldn’t work.
“Why are you pouting in here? I watched you with Kir, and I thought it was going well.”
“I don’t want to talk about Kir.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t. Everyone wants to congratulate me and tell me how lucky I am.”
“That’s because you are. Many shifters never meet their mate.”
Quinn snorted. “Please, can we skip the you’re so lucky and you should thank fate for the rest of your life talk? Because I don’t feel lucky at all.”
Simon’s expression softened. “I know that. I just don’t get why.”
How could Quinn explain it? How could he tell Simon his parents would hate him if he ever brought Kir home? He wouldn’t have a choice if he accepted Kir as his mate. He was the alpha of his nest, and he couldn’t be like Malik and step down from his position. His nest was too important to him, and his parents would hate him if he did.
“Malik said we’re more similar than you want to admit,” Simon said softly. “We obviously are nothing like each other physically, and you’re a lot more prickly than I am.”
Quinn sighed and let his arms fall. “He was talking about my family.”
Simon nodded once. “That’s what I thought.”
“We do kind of look like each other, though,” Quinn said with a smile.
It was true. They were both on the short side, both blond. Of course, Quinn’s hair was a lot shorter than Simon’s, and where Simon wore tight clothes that revealed more than they should, Quinn was all for comfortable jeans and flannel shirts.
Simon snorted. “Sure, if we’re in the dark.”
Quinn smiled. “I wonder if people could be afraid of you too.”
“Nah. I’m not scary, not like you. I’m softer, and I don’t like violence.”
“You’re making me sound like a monster.”
“A bit. You can’t deny you like your job, though, and not because of the power it gives you.”
“How would you know that?”
“I know you better than you think I do.”
Quinn wanted to protest, but Simon was probably right. After Quinn had apologized to him and Simon had forgiven him, Simon had decided they were going to be friends, and he’d stuck to that decision even when Quinn had tried to push him away. Quinn’s attempt had been half-assed anyway—Simon was Malik’s mate, and Malik was Quinn’s best friend. He’d have to see Simon for the rest of his life, unless Malik dumped Quinn’s ass, and Quinn hoped he wouldn’t.
“Why don’t you go have fun?” he asked, hoping to defuse the situation. He might not be in the mood for a party, but he was even less in the mood for an open-hearted talk.
“Because I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“I’ll be fine. You know I’m a grouch. You’re the only one who cares, anyway.”
“You know that’s not true. Malik cares, and Kir does, too.”
Quinn wanted to protest, but he knew it was true. Kir obviously was taking the mate thing seriously. He was trying to wiggle his way into Quinn’s life, and while Quinn wanted to allow him to do just that, he couldn’t.
He sighed. “We can’t mate.”
“Why not?”
“Do we really have to do this here?”
“No.” Simon got up and walked around the table. “Come on.”
“You should go have fun, Simon. Talking with me usually isn’t.”
“Do you want me to go call Malik instead?”
“No. He already knows about this, and I know what he’s going to say.”
“So maybe you need a new opinion.”
Quinn sighed. “No. I’m fine.”
He didn’t need second—or third—opinions. He already knew what Simon would say anyway. It would be what Malik and Quinn’s sister, Marla, had told him again and again. He shouldn’t live his life just to please his parents, he should do what he wanted, and not what he thought they wanted. All that was easier said than done, and he was past caring.
Everyone thought he was an angry bastard, and he couldn’t deny it. He wouldn’t do anything to change that, though. It would require too many sacrifices—sacrifices that would cancel everything he’d been working on ever since he was a teenager. There was no way he’d do that, and he wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it, either. Not even Kir. Not even his mate.
Quinn pushed away from the table. “I’m going home.” Simon opened his mouth, and Quinn could imagine what he was about to say, so he shook his head. “No. I’m really not in the mood for the party, and you know I didn’t want to come to begin with. You go have fun. I’ll be fine.”
Simon looked like he wanted to protest and push, but his shoulders sagged and he sighed. “Fine. All that work and for what? Nothing. You stayed at the party for a whole fifteen minutes.”
Quinn chuckled. “It could have been worse. I could have hightailed out of here as soon as I came down the stairs.”
“True. Doesn’t mean I’m happy with you right now, though.”
“Yeah, well. You’ll have to deal. You knew how I was before you decided to become my friend without even asking me if I was fine with it.”
“I didn’t ask because I already knew you’d say you didn’t need more friends and that I should stick to the ones I already had. Oh, and that it would be better for me.”
Quinn couldn’t deny that. It was exactly what he’d have said, and the fact that Simon knew him so well scared him a bit. Quinn had no problems hiding things from Malik, mostly because Malik never pushed for more than what Quinn was ready to give him. Even when he knew something was up, Malik waited for Quinn to work on it himself and intervened only if Quinn asked for help.
