Interrogation Techniques by Charlie Richards

Chapter Two

I’m cursed. That’s the only explanation.

Midget Suvergy—Miggs to his friends—Oh, wait. I don’t have any of those—stared forlornly at the door where the sexy scary man had disappeared.

His guinea pig whined in his mind, and Miggs’s heart ached in total agreement.

Par for the course for his life these last five years, the hits just kept on coming.

Miggs’s own father—their guinea pig muddle’s beta—had helped their alpha hold him captive, using him practically as a slave, as soon as he’d found out Miggs was interested in men. As he’d been part of an ultra-conservative muddle, he’d done his best to keep that nugget a secret for decades. One wrong smile at a waiter followed by the human writing his phone number on the receipt had caused the house of cards that Miggs called his life to come tumbling down.

Then the few guys Miggs had been hanging out with—men he’d called friends—had turned on him. Well, all but one had—Kenny. Unfortunately, Kenny hadn’t been able to help much out in the open.

Still, Miggs appreciated the fact that Kenny was the reason he’d managed to get away.

After five years of never being able to leave the alpha’s house, where he’d spent his days cleaning and helping the cook, Miggs had managed to escape. Kenny had slipped him money that he’d saved, a satchel of food, and a change of clothes. The man had even burned a cake, which had surely earned him a punishment, in order to leave the kitchen door propped open to air it out.

Miggs had been able to escape.

I hope Kenny is okay.

Of course, that thought brought Miggs back to his own predicament.

First, he’d been held captive by his own muddle because they thought a gay guinea pig had little use except as a slave. When he’d managed to escape, he’d hidden in what looked like a deserted warehouse. Except, it hadn’t been.

Miggs had discovered too late that a group of rogue shifters were using the place as a base. He’d stayed in guinea pig form and hidden in the walls near the garbage bins in order to hide his scent. Before he’d been able to escape, another group of shifters had attacked.

The impressively savvy nose of a hyena shifter had discovered Miggs’s hiding place, and he’d been taken captive, only to be tossed in the cells by the Shifter Council itself. Due to that, he’d hidden his true name. If his father or alpha learned of where he was through their connections, Miggs knew he would be dragged back to his muddle and beaten... before being made a slave again.

To top off his sucky life, his mate had taken half a step into the room, taken one look at him, and left again.

He’s probably telling the guard who brought me to the room to kill me.

Hell, both our lives would be better for it.

As that uncharitable thought flitted through his mind, the door opened again.

Miggs snapped his gaze from where he’d allowed it to fall to the table. As he took in the huge, broad-shouldered man standing there, he couldn’t stop his lips from parting. His heartrate spiked as he sucked in a sharp breath.

Once again, the spicy, earthy, masculine flavor of his mate teased his senses. His body responded instantly, just as the whispered comments of older members of his muddle had declared would happen should a shifter meet their fated mate. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and he felt his blood flood south, causing his prick to thicken.

Seeing the stranger’s nostrils flare and the man’s hazel eyes narrow, Miggs felt a niggle of embarrassment. They were in an interrogation room in the Shifter Council headquarters, he was a prisoner, and he was getting turned on. Except, he couldn’t seem to control himself.

To Miggs’s shock, the corners of the stranger’s thick lips twitched. His expression turned intense as he swept his gaze over him. A long, pregnant pause hung between them, allowing Miggs to look his fill.

The stranger had to stand at least six-foot-four or more. His dark-blond hair had been pulled away from his face to be secured somehow behind him, showcasing his angular features and high cheekbones. He stared at him with a penetrating, hazel-eyed gaze that sent a shiver up Miggs’s spine.

“Hmmm,” the man began on a hum, a definite curve to his lips then. “I believe some introductions are in order.” He slowly began stalking around the table, never taking his sizzling focus away from Miggs. “My name is Enforcer Delanrue Drudeson, the Chief Interrogator for the Shifter Council.”

It took Miggs a second to register what the other shifter—Delanrue—was telling him. When it did, he gasped. “Ch-Chief In-Interrogator?”

“Indeed,” Delanrue replied, his deep rumbling voice teasing at Miggs’s senses. “And you are my mate. Miggs, is it?”

Miggs was too busy gaping to reply, watching the gorgeous, broad-shouldered specimen of maleness round the table and draw near to him. When Delanrue reached for him, Miggs finally yanked himself out of his lust-induced stupor. He flinched, leaning away from the big shifter.

“Easy, little mate,” Delanrue all but purred even as he continued reaching for him. “You’re my mate. I won’t hurt you.”

Then Miggs found himself lifted into the air. The chains connecting him to the table and floor clinked as he whimpered instinctively. As Delanrue lifted him into his arms, Miggs curled in on himself, uncertainty filling him.

“What are you doing?” he squeaked.

“Getting comfortable,” came Delanrue’s surprising response.

Before Miggs could even question what that meant, Delanrue settled in the chair he’d been in. Then he placed Miggs on his lap. Their sizes were on clear display by the move, with Miggs’s ass easily cradled on Delanrue’s huge thighs.

Delanrue slid down the chair a little, then relaxed against the back. Tightening his right arm around Miggs’s waist, he tucked him close. With his other hand, Delanrue began rubbing up and down his opposite upper arm, soothing him while giving him something to lean against—his strong arm and torso.

Miggs’s mind whirled. Sitting still on the big male’s lap, he struggled to keep his breathing even. Each breath made it tougher than the last, since it drew more of Delanrue’s earthy aroma into his lungs. That, in turn, caused his body to continue to heat with rising need.

When Miggs felt Delanrue dip his head and nuzzle his nose against his temple, it felt as if butterflies bumped in his belly.

“I do love the way you smell, too, my little mate,” Delanrue purred into his ear. “And as much as I’d like to disconnect the corner camera, lay you out on this table, and lick every inch of your body as if you were my own personal feast, I think we have a few things to straighten out first. Don’t you?”

Miggs’s body flushed hot, then cold, as he processed Delanrue’s words. After he’d heard the first part, his dick had swelled even more, pushing almost painfully against his borrowed sweats, since he’d been in guinea pig form when he’d been caught. Then Miggs realized Delanrue expected answers... he was an interrogator, after all.

“I-Is this some new bizarre interrogation technique?” Miggs blurted out his question. “Holding him and coaxing what you want to know from him?”

As Miggs spoke, a burn of jealousy tightened his gut.

To Miggs’s surprise, Delanrue chuckled deeply into his ear. “No, my mate,” he told him.

Sliding the hand up Miggs’s arm, he gripped his nape. Delanrue used the firm but gentle hold to urge Miggs to meet his gaze. His intense hazel eyes peered down at him as if searching for every secret Miggs possessed.

“You are my mate, Miggs,” Delanrue stated bluntly, verbally claiming him once again. “Your safety and happiness are my responsibility. Right now”—he released Miggs’s neck and waved his hand around the room negligently—”this is not safe. I need to know what’s going on so I can help fix it.”

When Miggs just opened and closed his mouth, then open again, too shocked to find words, Delanrue touched his chin and urged it shut. All the while, a slightly crooked smile curved his lips. The expression would have appeared condescending, except for the appreciative gleam darkening the shifter’s hazel eyes almost to green.

“So tempting to capture that mouth,” Delanrue crooned. Then he shook his head sharply, and the lust cleared from his features. “First, we’ll begin with something simple. I told you my name. Will you tell me yours? Is Miggs a nickname?”

When Miggs still hesitated, Delanrue skimmed his fingertips through his hair. The gentle massage to his scalp sent soothing tingles down his neck. He felt himself relaxing despite the tenuous situation.

“My hair must be really greasy,” Miggs mumbled, leaning more of his weight against Delanrue’s broad chest.

“Hmmm,” Delanrue hummed, not agreeing or disagreeing. “When we’re done here, I’ll take you to my quarters. The place has a massive shower, if you’d care to use it.”

“Thank you,” Miggs replied automatically, anticipation filling him. He hadn’t had a decent shower since fleeing his muddle, and even before that, the shower he’d been allowed to use in the alpha’s house was old, small, and the water pressure had sucked. Staring into Delanrue’s serene expression, Miggs stated, “I guess if I can’t be honest with my mate, I’m really in trouble.”

Delanrue shrugged one broad shoulder—shoulders that looked like they could carry the weight of the world.

I hope they can.

“We don’t know each other, yet,” Delanrue pointed out. “But we will, in time. Time I’d like to have together.” Curving a corner of his lips into a wry smile, he added, “You’ll hear stories about what a bastard and asshole I am, and I won’t refute them. I’ve done a lot of questionable shit in the name of obeying the Shifter Council and keeping our species safe.”

Instead of worrying Miggs, hearing that reassured him. Forcing a tremulous smile, he whispered, “A badass may be exactly what I need to get out of this mess.”

With a wink, Delanrue drawled, “Well, I did hear somewhere about a theory that Fate brings mates together when they need each other most.”

Miggs smiled, liking that idea. Still—”I can’t imagine you ever needing anyone.”

“Maybe I need a sexy partner to care for so I don’t slip even further into assholedom.”

Snickering, Miggs shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a word.”

“Meh,” Delanrue replied dismissively. “So. Now we’re back to helping each other.” He arched one brow in question. “Miggs?”

Miggs knew he didn’t truly have a choice. If it wasn’t his mate asking nicely, someone else would demand the information. That person probably wouldn’t ask so nicely.

“Miggs is a nickname,” he admitted. “My birth name is Midget Suvergy, and I ran away from a muddle run by Alpha Shaun Rudger.”

Delanrue hummed. “Midget, huh?” His grin turned teasing as he swept his gaze over Miggs, and he jiggled him just a bit in his arms. “You’re small, but not that small.”

Rolling his eyes, Miggs frowned at the big man. “Ha, ha.”

With another wink, Delanrue told him, “Couldn’t resist. Hopefully, you’ll get used to my occasional bouts of inappropriate humor.”

Miggs snickered softly. “Okay.”

“So, you left your muddle. Weird word. Is that what a group of guinea pigs is called?”

“Some people use herd, too, but ours called it a muddle,” Miggs told him.

Delanrue nodded as he asked, “Why’d you leave? How long ago was this?”

Having hidden his sexuality for so long, Miggs couldn’t help but hesitate. Then he realized how foolish that was. After all, he was sitting on the lap of a man who happened to be his Fate-given mate.

Gods, how did I get so lucky?

“So, um, it’s probably a familiar story, but Alpha Shaun leads an ultra-conservative muddle, so I hid my desire for men for decades.” Miggs lowered his gaze to his hands where he twisted them together on his lap. “When a waiter hit on me and left me his phone number on my ticket, I couldn’t help but blush.” Miggs once again felt heat rise on his cheeks, telling him he was doing the same right then. “I-I was flattered because the guy was hot.”

When Delanrue growled, Miggs snapped his attention to the big shifter’s face. Surprise filled him, and he gasped. He took in the deep scowl marring Delanrue’s expression and uncertainty caused tension to surge through him.

“Um, I-I—” Miggs stuttered.

Delanrue let out a deep sigh between pursed lips. “Sorry,” he grumbled. His voice sounding gruff, he explained, “Hearing you talk about other hot guys is... annoying.”

Realization filled Miggs, and he smiled shyly at his mate. “You’re way hotter.”

“Good.” After the one word, Delanrue fell silent again.

Miggs picked up where he’d left off. “Um, anyway, because I didn’t insult the guy or say something rude about the phone number, um, and the blush,” he added, thinking back to those few awkward moments while leaving the restaurant. “When I got home, one of the guys I’d been eating lunch with followed me, and he told my father about it.” Seeing Delanrue’s questioning look, Miggs explained, “My father is the muddle beta.” Grimacing, he finished, “When he asked point-blank if I was attracted to that guy, I couldn’t exactly lie. Ya know?”

Delanrue nodded. “So then what happened?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Miggs continued, “That was about... five years ago, now.” Then he explained about being a slave in the alpha’s house and how, eventually, Kenny had helped him escape. “I had only been away from there for six days when I found the warehouse. I thought it was abandoned.” Miggs shook his head while hunching his shoulders. “When a whole bunch of shifters showed up, I was already inside. I shifted and hid in the walls, waiting for a chance to escape, but it didn’t come before—” Waving his hand, Miggs didn’t bother finishing.

Delanrue did it for him. “Before our teams came and captured the rogues and you with them.”

Miggs nodded.

Feeling Delanrue’s cool, lightly calloused palm slide under his chin, Miggs lifted his gaze to his mate’s calm gaze.

“You know you’re safe now, Miggs,” Delanrue told him. “Right? This will be easy to clear up.”

The thud of the door opening sounded through the room before Miggs could reply. A muscular, wiry redhead strode into the room followed by the guard that had escorted Miggs from his cell to the room. Another man joined them—a thickly built, dark-haired shifter.

“I’m afraid it’s not going to be quite that easy to clear up,” the redhead stated, his lips pinching in a tight line. Pointing to the camera, he explained, “We’ve been watching and listening.”

Delanrue didn’t seem surprised, saying, “I figured you would be.” His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean it won’t be easy to clear up, Enforcer Mycroft? Miggs really was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The rogue charges will be dropped, and I’ll take him to my room to freshen up and relax while I question Pedro.”

Miggs didn’t know who that was, but he heard the way Delanrue growled the guy’s name. His mate didn’t like him.

The redhead, Mycroft, crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wall. “As soon as Miggs told us his real name, Link ran it.” His eyes narrowed as he pinned his gaze on Miggs. “Alpha Shaun reported that you went rogue and murdered Kenny when you fled.”

Gasping, Miggs felt the blood drain from his face. “Kenny is dead? No!”

A cry of sorrow erupted from his throat as a shudder went through him.