Under Sean’s Protection by Lisa Oliver

Chapter Fifteen

Sean’s eyes flew open as he recognized the drug flooding his system. Anyone else injected with ten cc’s of adrenaline would not be able to control their muscular system, but Sean was well practiced in the art of self-control. He smiled at the sight of Kyle kneeling beside him and could see the fear slip away from his mate’s expression almost immediately.

“Hey babe,” Sean whispered. “I’m sure glad to see you.”

Sean could see that Kyle was about to burst with relief and joy, but quickly silenced him with a sharp ‘shush’.

In the quietest voice possible, Sean gave instructions.

“Blink once if you can hear me,” he murmured in nearly non-existent tones. Kyle’s uncanny ability to pick up the slightest sounds was about to come in very handy.

Kyle blinked, and Sean could see the sparkle in his eye.

“Good. We’ll need to be quick and quiet in case they’re listening. Here’s what we’re going to do. Blink once after every instruction so I know you got it.”

Kyle blinked again.

“First thing, you’re going to tell them I didn’t wake up with the shot. You’ll be upset, worried for my safety. They won’t expect this, and it will buy us some time.”

Blink.

“Next, position yourself as far from the door as you can with your hands in sight. They’ll do a risk assessment immediately upon entering, and this will minimize the sense of a threat.”

Kyle blinked.

“I’m betting three will come in. One will attend to me, one will stay by the door, and the third will be watching you. The more upset and defeated you appear, the less he’ll worry about what you’re going to do. You’ll have to play the distraught mate for all you’re worth. Clear?”

Kyle smiled and blinked. Sean was thrilled. Maybe this won’t be so difficult after all.

“Good. Now, when I give the signal, I’m going to need you to shift, and I mean fast. Your wolf will know what to do after that.”

Kyle stared straight at Sean. He wasn’t blinking.

“Babe?”

The panic in Kyle’s eyes told Sean that he didn’t think he could shift.

“You’ve shifted before, right?”

Kyle blinked once, releasing a tear from his eye.

“So, what’s the problem?”

Kyle mouthed a single, soundless word: dad.

Sean was confused. “I know your dad can’t shift anymore, but that shouldn’t affect your ability to…”

Then it dawned him.

“Shit,” Sean said. “If he couldn’t shift, then he wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it either.”

Kyle blinked as another tear fell. 

“You can do this, baby,” Sean quietly assured him. “You have to do this. Just let your wolf come out, let him take over. Don’t fight it. And don’t doubt it. Trust that this is who you are, who you were always meant to be. I know I’m supposed to protect you, but right now, I need a bit of a solid back. Just this once. Then I swear I’ll never let you out of my sight again after this is all over.”

The phone rang.

“Answer it, or they’ll get suspicious.”

Kyle started to get up. Sean laid his hand on Kyle’s inner thigh.

“I believe in you,” Sean mouthed.

He listened as Kyle answered the phone, unleashing all the pretend grief and anxiety that Kyle had been feeling for real.

“He’s not waking up,” Sean heard Kyle yell into the receiver. “What the fuck did you do to him? He’s NOT WAKING UP!”

That’s my guy. Sean closed his eyes and relaxed his body into feigned unconsciousness.

These fuckers have no idea what’s coming.

/~/~/~/~/

After screaming into the phone, Kyle moved over to the far side of the room, near the bed, grabbing the TV remote on his way. He clicked on the screen, channel three, then tossed the remote onto the bed leaving his hands free. He looked once more over at his mate, lying on the floor like a gorgeous sleeping giant, then turned his attention to the screen.

Janelle appeared, still wearing the white suit she had on before. Her background was dark, indistinguishable.

Where the hell is she? Kyle wondered, as the door burst open, and two enforcers entered with guns drawn.

“Help him,” Kyle cried. “He didn’t wake up. I did what you fucking told me to do, gave him that needle, and he’s not waking up.”

Crying wasn’t an issue. After the day Kyle had, and having to admit his darkest secret to his strong mate, Kyle wasn’t sure he could stop. Just as Sean said, the enforcers didn’t consider him much of a threat. In fact, they appeared more worried about Sean, who they thought was out cold.

Perfect. Maybe.

Kyle watched as Janelle gave instructions to the enforcers over the video feed.

“Watch him,” she said. “He might look harmless lying on the floor, bound with iron, but do not underestimate him.”

She can see us, Kyle realized. He glanced up, to the top of the TV screen. A small, ball shaped camera was mounted there, it’s little green eye glowing like a jewel.

“This is not the time to be a hero, Kyle,” Janelle said, as if reading his thoughts. “I’m no longer interested in you now that he’s here. Keep your shit together and you’ll be out of here before you know it, back home with your darling mommy and daddy.”

Kyle didn’t want to think about his father.

He first shifted on his fifteenth birthday. His mom did her best to throw some semblance of a party, but his dad was drunk throughout it all. He just sat in his chair, making fun of all Kyle’s presents and the two friends he was allowed to have over. He remembered when he was blowing out the candles on his cake, his buddies cheering him on, when it just happened.

He had always believed his shift was going to be a huge event in his life, and that he would be celebrated and made to feel like a grown up. Instead, his father treated him like he had just shit his pants or something. Kyle remembered being grabbed by the fur around his neck, and yelping loudly, not so much in pain as in shock.

Almost immediately, he shifted back. He didn’t even get a chance to run or howl or do anything that his young wolf wanted to do.

“Don’t you dare rub salt in my wound by shifting in this house, you little shit,” his dad said as soon as his wolf was gone. His words hurt more than the slap across his face. “I can whip your wolf’s ass just as easily as your own. I’ll beat the shit out of that mutt if it ever shows up here again, understand?”

Kyle spent the rest of his party fighting tears, not wanting to cry in front of his friends. He tried shifting a couple of times outside the house after that, but somehow his dad always knew. He was slapped and reprimanded when he got home every time. So, he stopped doing it. Completely.

Kyle wanted to tell Sean that he hasn’t shifted since. He wanted to tell him that he didn’t think he could anymore. But there was no time. Now, thanks to his father, he would only let Sean down.