Wolf, en Garde [Wolf 2]

Chapter 1: Washington, DC-3

Henry laughed. It was a startlingly sincere sound, and Lyle frowned. All right, guts. Make up your mind. We either like him or we don’t.

“Lyle,” Henry said around his chuckles, “the last time Mary cooked we had to air the house out for three days. But I promise we’ll get you fed. Come on.” He nodded toward the front of the van. “How’s about you sit up front with me? We’ll give the boys some breathing space, hmm?”

The feeling of unease stayed with Lyle, but he had a hard time deciding if it was something real or merely the idea that somebody else might know about what had gone on the winter before last—with or without the added bonus of knowing the O’Connell secret. At the time, with the changes still new in his head, it hadn’t felt like he’d been stalking Randy. That’s what they’d told him at the Center, though, and that’s what Lyle had been made to repeat back to them, but even now Lyle wasn’t comfortable using the term to identify what he’d been trying to do. He’d just wanted Randy to be part of his life. His life, not his father’s. Showing Randy what he could do had seemed like the perfect solution. Yes, he’d known it would be scary, seeing a human shift into wolf form was something anybody would get a bit tense about, but Lyle had hoped Randy would think it was cool. Once Randy got used to the idea, of course. Deep down Lyle had known he was engaging in a bit of a show of dominance, but Randy had seemed all kinds of submissive. Submissive to the point that Lyle had hoped, just maybe, Randy would get off on the idea of someone like Lyle being interested in him. Someone strong. Someone tough. Someone with cool, wild, animalistic abilities.

Lyle hadn’t expected Vaughn to intervene. In hindsight, Lyle realized he should have known better. Vaughn’s attraction to Randy had been obvious to both of them. In the end, the only thing their unmasking had done was send Randy packing with a new outlook on just how terrifying the real world was. Randy had come back, but not until he’d spent several weeks in DC with his family. What had gone on when Randy had been back under Henry’s protective wings? What had Randy said? How much had Randy given away, and did the folks at the GDBCG know about Randy’s indiscretion?

A light tap on Lyle’s shoulder drew his attention back into the car, back into current time, and into the seat behind him. He eyed the rest of the van, cautiously at first, in case he’d been called by his father, then frowned when he saw the grin on Randy’s face. “Your brother wants you,” Randy whispered, his eyes lit with knowing amusement.

Behind Randy, Isaac’s expression mirrored Randy’s. Belying Isaac’s usual remarks regarding his maturity, his legs swung in the seat and he had a strong case of ‘ants in the pants,’ as their mother used to say. When Isaac saw that he’d secured his brother’s attention, he gleefully pointed out the window.

Whether they were going by too quickly or Lyle had waited too long to respond, the only thing Lyle caught on the sign were the two big words at the middle of it. “Wolf Trap.”

“What in the ever-loving hell—” Lyle began, and was immediately cut off by Isaac’s laugh. Hannah cupped a hand over her mouth, Randy chuckled, and Vaughn rolled his eyes.

“Sounds like a good place for Lyle to stay away from,” Hannah teased.

Lyle gave his dad an annoyed, questioning glance that he sincerely hoped was giving off a ‘Are you really going to let them do that?’ message.

The only reprimand Vaughn passed back was, “Settle down. Mr. Connor is trying to drive.”

“Oh, they don’t bother me,” Henry piped up. “It’s been too damn long since I heard kids laughing in my back seat.” He checked his passengers in the rearview. “Besides, it is a funny name, isn’t it, kiddos?

The kids didn’t respond, doing what they did best—which was, to Lyle’s constant annoyance, immediately snapping to attention and doing whatever the hell their father had told them to do. That didn’t stop Henry from continuing, however. “What you’ve got right there is a national park. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. They’ve even got a Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods. I don’t think the Three Pigs run it, though.” He grinned at the mirror, assessed both kids, and seemed to decide they hadn’t caught his reference. “You know, little place in the woods. Wolf Trap. The three pigs…”

Behind Lyle, Vaughn put a hand over his mouth and turned to the window to glare out from above his fingers. Lyle could barely contain his pleasure over his father’s irritation—especially considering it was being directed at the two perfect ones for a change. “I guess one doesn’t usually attend in a little red riding hood, hmm?” he asked Henry sweetly.

Henry laughed out loud. “Good one! Hey,” Henry looked back into the rearview. “We should go. I can get tickets. They have puppet shows and storytelling. All kinds of things. It could be fun!”

“Oh, I think the kids are a little too big for puppet shows,” Vaughn said. “Besides, Randy has been planning this visit for a while. I’m sure he already has a full itinerary.” He turned to look pointedly at his lover. “It probably doesn’t include Wolf Trap.”

Randy’s lips twisted as he fought to contain a grin. “I hadn’t thought to include it, no. Perhaps another time.”

While the conversation drifted to other ground, Lyle drifted out of it. It wasn’t until they’d arrived at the Connors’ place and Vaughn poked his head in Lyle’s temporary bedroom that Lyle got up the nerve to mention his gut feeling about Henry. He waved his dad in and shut the door before anyone could follow. “What do Randy’s parents know?” He licked his lips, eyed the closed door, and lowered his voice even further. “About us, I mean?”

“Nothing, I would assume.” Vaughn propped himself on the corner of the desk that Henry had so graciously, and with a fair amount of pride in his voice, informed Lyle had once been Randy’s favorite spot in the entire house. (“He learned a lot at that desk, kiddo. Yes, he sure did.”) ”It’s not something most people would feel comfortable talking about. Even to close family.”

“I guess…” Lyle trailed off, frowned, and then shook his head. “He just seems to know more than you’d think a person should. Some of his comments make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.”

Lyle expected concern. He expected at least a moderate show of discomfort—something that would validate his own, at least.

Instead, Vaughn sighed. He raked his fingers through his hair. He suddenly looked worn down, exhausted even, and it looked like he felt even more than he was letting his face show. “When did you get so goddamn suspicious?”

The blood in Lyle’s veins seemed to run cold—blue flames of anger so cold that the cold burned worse than any heat could. He’d just made a simple statement, but it had been based on a feeling meant to be shared by two creatures that understood the concept of instinct. Creatures that should trust one another in that regard. At the very least, his concern should have been considered worthy of discussion. Vaughn was his father, for f**k’s sake.

Fine. f**k him, then.

If that’s the way his dad wanted things, then that’s the way they would be. “When I found out the world wasn’t biscuits and belly scratches, Dad. But you didn’t have to go to Monster U, did you?” Lyle turned away and gave the contents of his suitcase a watery glare. “If you’ll excuse me, I should unpack.”

* * * *

There was something to be said, Lyle thought, staring with a decided lack of interest at the dinner plate Henry had set in front of him, for the saying that once a person got used to steak they weren’t interested in hamburger anymore. Of course, in his case, steak meant live meat and hamburger the crap that sat in front of him. Some days—most days—it seemed like he had no interest in anything but that which ran fast, yet not quite fast enough. He’d even begun to wonder if his teeth would start dropping from his gums due to a lack of…God, what even…vitamin C? Vitamin D? Vitamin f**k-this-s**t-if-it-wasn’t-running? He’d be the first man to end up with scurvy in the free world in the year of our Lord two-thousand-and-seventeen. He c****d his head and poked at his food. Did one even get scurvy from eating nothing but meat? Were wolves—half-wolves, really—even prone to such a thing? Probably…

“You doing okay there, Lyle?”

Lyle startled so hard that his fork clacked against the plate. He turned to his right, caught his father’s gaze, and bitter distaste washed over his tongue. “Sure. Yeah.” He cleared his throat in an effort to keep a suitable tone in his voice, and shrugged. “Why?”

The drawl in Vaughn’s voice suggested peaceful reflection, but the inflection was most likely added for the benefit of their hosts. The glint in his eyes was cold steel. “You’ve barely touched your food. Is there something wrong?” Must you act like a fussy brat in front of Randy’s parents?

The last part wasn’t said, but it was there between the two of them, as obvious as the spoken words had been.

“No, sir.” Lyle forced himself to smile. “Everything’s perfect.” He lifted his fork, which was as much of an effort as putting the smile on had been, and dug into…something…meat-like…Was it meatloaf? It was definitely some kind of meat-ish g**k, but with bits of veggies and maybe even…beans? Lentils? Who the f**k put s**t like that in meat? “I’m just not as hungry as I thought I was, I guess.”

Randy’s eyes ticked to Lyle’s, and just for a second, their gazes caught each other. The expression Randy gave him made Lyle feel sick to his stomach. Pity. Concern.

Lyle stilled the sweep of anger that coursed through him. He looked down at his plate of food and dropped his fork. “I think I’m going to go lie down for a bit. I’m really not feeling—”

“Lyle, for heaven’s sake, Mr. Connor went out of his way—”

“Can I get you something else?”

It was Randy’s mother that cut Vaughn off, and the look of unadulterated disbelief that Randy gave her was almost laughable. What’s the matter, Randy? She doesn’t do that for you?

Lyle offered Mary his warmest smile. “No, thank you, ma’am. It’s just been a long day.”

“Then lie down is what you’ll do,” Mary said with a nod. “But first…”

Henry sighed. “Mary, now is not the time. The kids just got here—”

Mary lifted her brows, higher and somehow mightier than Lyle had ever seen anyone do. She even managed to pull a sucked-in cheek thing at the same time, without making it look like it was ridiculous. Mostly not ridiculous, anyway. “Do not talk to me about time. I think, out of all of us, that I understand the concept of how much time we have better than anyone.”

She set her utensils on her plate crossed in a perfect X, fork over knife. She pushed her plate forward, dropped her hands to her lap, and lifted her chin. Then she took a deep breath. A hush fell over the kitchen. Everyone watched with their own level of fascination: her husband, defeated but resigned; Randy, nervously terrified; Vaughn, annoyed (no doubt still over the fact he’d been cut off mid-scold); and Hannah, interested. Only Isaac seemed to be experiencing what Lyle was—semi-controlled delight over the woman’s ability to hold court.

“I am retiring.”

The words bounded across the kitchen floor like a dropped rubber ball. It was all Lyle could do to hold back a snort of laughter. That was it? That was the big news with all the dramatic pre-game-face bullshit?

Randy breathed a sigh of relief. “Jesus, Mom. I thought you were going to say you were dying or some damn thing…” His words trailed off. He glanced from his mother to his father. “I mean, this is good news, right? You’re still young. You’ve made good money. I’m sure you and Dad have things you want to do.”

The corners of Mary’s mouth ticked. “I have no doubt that your father and I will enjoy the time immensely.”

As if the words had a force behind them that no one else felt, Henry’s chair shot back and he stood. He looked strangely flustered. “I should start clearing some of this food up.”

“You should sit down, Henry,” Mary said before turning to Randy. “I swear that man will run from his own coroner.” She stopped Randy before he had a chance to speak. “There’s something else. And I want you to know that I’m only telling you this now because, for one, we can do it face to face. For another, you have a system of support around you at the moment.”