plik

Raised in complete isolation—Raven shifter, Chance—knew
little of the shifter world. While he realized that the Ravens
were  at  war  with  feline  shifters,  he  didn’t  understand  just
how  deep  the  hatred  went  until  he  took  refuge  with  a
coalition  of  felines—felines  who  sometimes  seemed  more
likely to kill him than protect him from the Ravens hunting
him.  Living  among  his  enemies,  while  being  hated  by  his
own kind, Chance withdraws into himself and begins to lose
hope that he’ll ever be happy. To make things worse, Chance
finds himself drawn to Thomas, a Lion shifter who despises
all Ravens.

When Thomas is assigned to guard Chance, he’s not

happy.  His  job  is  to  kill  Ravens,  not  babysit  them.  But  as
time passes, Thomas realizes he’s attracted to the shy, sweet
man.  But  years  of  war  against  the  Ravens,  along  with  his
own  personal  demons,  lead  Thomas  to  resist  the  draw  he
feels for Chance. Then Chance is taken captive and Thomas
realizes  how  much  his  little  Raven  means  to  him.  Will  he
find Chance in time, or will they both lose all hope of ever
finding a happy ending?

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or
locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Chance’s Vindication

ISBN: 978-1-55487-979-3

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part
in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means,
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Published by eXtasy Books

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Chapter One

hance often heard people use the term the elephant in the
middle of the room. He’d never thought about how that

poor elephant must have felt though. Yet as he found
himself, the lone male Raven shifter, sitting in the center of a
cafeteria full of feline shifters, he couldn’t help but feel a
connection.

He slouched down in his chair and tried to make himself

as inconspicuous as possible. All the while, wondering why
he’d been so stupid as to show his mug there in the first
place. Usually, he would have never come to the cafeteria at
all, instead taking his meal in the privacy of his apartment.
But he thought that it would be safe to venture out this one
time, since most of the coalition was attending the wedding
of their leader’s sister to a Wolf shifter.

Instead of the solitude he’d anticipated, Chance found

that one-third of the coalition’s soldiers had stayed behind.
Since they were working on a skeleton crew, their schedule
was wonky, too. So they’d had their shift change at seven in
the evening instead of the usual six-o’clock. Which meant
that Chance now found himself smack dab in the middle of
their dinner break.

He stared down at his uneaten tray of spaghetti as he

strove not to feel all the hate being directed his way. Felines
and  Ravens  were  bitter  enemies  and  the  fact  that  Chance
hadn’t  lived  with  other  Ravens  since  he  was  four  didn’t
matter  to  the  felines.  Nor  did  they  care  that  Mitchell,  the

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leader  of  the  coalition,  had  granted  Chance  and  his  sister,
Dulla,  sanctuary.  They  just  looked  at  him  and  saw  a  hated
foe, plain and simple. Chance knew for a fact the only thing
that  held  them  back  from  attacking  him  right  there  on  the
spot  was  the  strict  hands-off  edict  given  by  their  leader.
Otherwise, Chance’s ass would have been the newest entrée
on the menu.

Glancing up from under his long fringe of black bangs,

Chance stared at the one feline who seemed to occupy most
of his thoughts. A Lion shifter named Thomas. The man had
been  assigned  to  guard  and  guide  Chance  as  he  became
accustomed to the coalition lifestyle. The only problem was
Thomas  hated  Chance,  whereas  Chance  harbored  a  secret
attraction  to  the  Lion.  One  that  made  Chance  lay  awake
most nights, his body tense with frustration and unanswered
need.

Who wouldn’t drool over Thomas though? Standing at

around  six-five  and  pure  muscle,  the  guy  had  a  body  that
was  both  drool-worthy  and  pant-a-licious.  That  was  even
before  one  added  in  his  short,  carefully  styled  blond  hair
that  just  begged  to  be  messed  up,  and  sparkling  blue  eyes
that turned dark whenever he got emotional. Plus, Thomas
had a certain way of carrying himself. A don’t-fuck-with-me
vibe  that  made  Chance  feel  protected  and  skittish  at  the
same  time.  Which  was  a  combination  he’d  never  thought
possible.

Letting out a sigh, Chance tugged at his own hair,

painfully aware of how unattractive he must be to any feline.
Since he was a Raven, he had dark hair, pale skin and dark
eyes that some called soulless. It was so bad that Chance
couldn’t even look in the mirror anymore, not wanting the
painful reminder of who he really was.

Chance let out a sigh as he shifted his gaze back on his

food. He could stare and dream of the shifter all he wanted,

Chance’s Vindication

it still wouldn’t change the way Thomas felt about him. The
man never made it a secret how he hated all Ravens and that
included  Chance.  Not  that  Chance  could  really  blame  the
guy.  Ravens  were  heartless  bastards  who  only  lived  to
destroy. Just look at his family. The reason they’d left their
pack or murder as Ravens call them, was because the elders
had put a death order out for Dulla because of her learning
disabilities. So as a result, he, Dulla, and their foster brother,
Xavier, had been raised in complete isolation.

He glanced over at his sister, Dulla. She didn’t seem to

have any problems acclimating to their new home. She sat at
a  table  with  five  felines.  They  were  a  tight  clique  who’d
taken  her  under  their  wing  and  they  were  all  fiercely
protective of her. It didn’t appear to bother them at all that
she  was  a  Raven. Be  it  because  of  her  gentle  disposition  or
her slight learning delay, but they had no problem including
her.

Even though he knew it was petty, Chance couldn’t help

but wish that some of that love could be pointed in his
direction. Not that he was an attention whore or anything,
but he’d at least like to not be treated like a leper. As it was,
his was the only table that had one occupant. All the others
were filled to capacity. Meanwhile, he looked like some lone
Raven island in the middle of a sea of kitties.

So when somebody plopped down in the chair across

from him, Chance jerked in surprise. He glanced up, further
shocked  to  see  it  was  Dalton,  the  only  Lynx  shifter  in  the
coalition. At nineteen, he was a year younger than Chance,
but  the  gap  seemed  even  larger  due  to  Dalton’s  innocent
attitude.  The  way  the  Lynx’s  dark  hair  flopped  over  his
wide,  bright  green  eyes,  further  added  to  his  youthful
appearance.

“You won’t believe what happened to me,” Dalton

exclaimed.

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“I…I won’t?” Chance stammered, still stunned that

anybody other than his family was talking to him.

“No, you won’t. It’s the worst and best night I ever had.”
“I would have thought that you’d be in the group that

went to the wedding,” Chance said, scrambling to keep up
with the conversation.

“I was.”
“Then why are you already home?”
“My guardian dragged me back. All because I was talking

to some Wolf shifter. Okay, maybe I was doing a little more
than talking, but he was really, really hot.” Dalton’s scowl
morphed into a dreamy smile. “He was a damn good kisser,
too.”

“So why did your guardian object? I thought it was okay

for felines and Wolves to mess around?”

Dalton let out a sigh. “I guess Russell…that’s the name of

my Wolf…isn’t a good influence. Gosh, a guy runs one
criminal enterprise and everybody wants to slap a label on
him and call him bad.”

Chance laughed. “I can understand the frustration over

being labeled.”

“Yeah, I guess you could.” Dalton studied him carefully.

“It must be really hard for you to live amongst a whole
bunch of hostile felines.”

Feigning an indifference he came nowhere close to

feeling, Chance shrugged. “It’s not so bad. At least this place
has cable and internet.”

After staring at Chance for a few more moments, Dalton

made a declaration, “I’ve decided that you need me.”

That comment both startled Chance and made him wary.

“I do?”

“Yes, you could use a good friend.”
“I have Xavier and Dulla.”
“You need one who’s feline.”

Chance’s Vindication

“So, what? You’ve decided to take pity on the poor

Raven?”

“No, I’ve decided to look past that and to get to know you

better for just being you. Is that so surprising?”

“Well…yeah,” Chance replied honestly.
Dalton chuckled. “I think we’re going to get along great.”
“You do?”
“Sure, I love to take on hopeless cases and, sweetie, you’re

about as hopeless as they come. Not because you’re a Raven
either. You need somebody to teach you how to socialize
and make friends.”

A heat came over Chance’s face. “While I was growing

up,  it  was  just  my  parents,  Dulla,  Xavier  and  me.  They
didn’t  let  us  interact  with  anybody  for  fear  of  us  being
discovered.  Not  only  were  we  wanted  by  the  Ravens,  but
since Xavier’s an Eagle, he was hunted, too.”

Dalton’s face softened with understanding. “I heard your

parents were killed.”

“Yeah, it just happened recently. Some Hyena shifters

attacked our home. My mom and dad sacrificed themselves
so we could get away.”

“My whole family was killed by snake shifters,” Dalton

confessed in a sad whisper.

“They were? I’m sorry to hear that.” Chance replied,

feeling a kinship with the feline over their shared tragedies.

“It was really hard. Especially, since I was basically raised

in seclusion, too. While it wasn’t as extreme as what you
had, my parents didn’t let us out much either.”

Maybe they did have more in common than Chance

originally thought. He found himself growing to like the
Lynx more and more with each passing second. Chance even
discovered himself relaxing a bit, the tension easing from his
shoulders.

“So, does that mean you’ll be my friend?” Dalton pressed.

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“What are we, on Facebook or something?” Chance

teased lightly before answering, “Sure, we can be friends.”

Dalton flashed a bright smile before he darted a quick

glance over in Thomas’s direction. “Oh, wow. Don’t look
now, but your stud is shooting me some massive dirty
looks.”

Chance looked over, startled to see that Dalton was right.

Thomas’s eyes were narrowed in disapproval and the corner
of his lip curled up in a snarl. “He probably thinks my
Raven ass is a bad influence on you.”

“Hmmm…it looks more like jealousy to me.”
Panic seized Chance’s chest. “Are you guys in a

relationship or something?”

Dalton rolled his eyes. “As if! I like my guys to have more

bark to their bite. It’s you that Thomas is getting all
possessive over.”

Now it was Chance who rolled his eyes. “You’re way off.

Thomas can’t stand me.”

“You could have fooled me with the way he always

follows you around.”

“That’s only because Mitchell ordered him to.”
“Maybe, but I’m willing to bet Mitchell didn’t order him

to check your ass out all the time.”

“He does not,” Chance argued, his stomach doing a

strange flip.

“Are you kidding me? He does it so bad that I’m

surprised he doesn’t run into a wall or something because
he’s so focused on you he never looks where he’s going.”

A flare of hope built inside him, but just as quickly it went

out. Giving his hair a self-conscious tug, Chance said,
“You’re mistaken. There is no way any feline could ever find
me attractive.”

“Why not?”
“Because I look too much like them.”

Chance’s Vindication

Dalton’s brow crinkled in confusion. “Like who?”
“The other Ravens.”
“No way. They all have greasy hair and stink. You’re

nothing like them.”

“It’s close enough where he’ll never want me. While I

may be cleaner, I still have the same dark hair and eyes as
the Ravens do. That’s all that matters.”

Dalton reached over the table and fingered Chance’s

locks. “I think you look just fine, but if it bothers you so
much, we could give you a few highlights.”

“Highlights?” Chance echoed uncertainly.
“Yeah, maybe some blue or red ones. Carson has them

and they look really good in his dark hair.”

“Isn’t Carson the smartass IT guy who always makes

cawing noises when I walk by?”

“Yeah, but don’t take it too hard. If he’s teasing you, then

it means he likes you.”

“It’s good to know that not all the felines hate me.”
Dalton grabbed Chance’s hand and gave it a friendly

squeeze. “Not everybody hates you. It may take some time,
but they’ll come around and accept you. I promise.”

Chance couldn’t help but doubt Dalton’s prediction.

While the Lynx may be open to having a Raven amongst the
ranks, Chance couldn’t ever see the rest of the coalition
falling in line. So that left Chance in the same position he’d
always been—alone and scrambling just to survive.

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Chapter Two

f you keep glaring at your charge, you’re never going
to get your meal finished,” Seth admonished.

Thomas grunted in reply, not even looking at his friend.

Instead,  he  kept  his  gaze  focused  on  Chance  and  the  little,
snot  of  a  Lynx  shifter.  Since  when  were  they  friends  and
why  in  the  hell  did  Dalton  seem  to  have  so  much  trouble
keeping his paws to himself?

Thomas let out a low growl when Dalton reached over

and  began  to  toy  with  Chance’s  dark  hair.  All  too  many
times,  Thomas  had  found  himself  wanting  to  do  the  exact
same  thing.  Chance’s  hair,  while  cut  short,  still  had  the
tendency  to  hang  in  his  face  at  times.  More  than  once,
Thomas had to stop himself from reaching out and brushing
those silky looking locks away from the Raven’s face.

Chance glanced in his direction. As always, it was hard to

read the emotion in his dark eyes, but going by the way his
lips were slightly parted, something Dalton had said must
have been shocking. A growl rumbled in Thomas’s chest as
he wondered just what kind of flirtatious comments Dalton
was tossing around to get that kind of reaction.

Seth cocked his head to the side as he studied Dalton and

Chance. “They look really friendly.”

“Chance needs to stay away from that troublemaker,”

Thomas snapped.

He knew he should have kept his trap shut the instant

“I

Chance’s Vindication

Seth turned that knowing look into his direction. “If I didn’t
know any better I would swear that’s jealousy I hear in your
tone. Wow, maybe it doesn’t suck being left behind while
my mate is off at the wedding, after all. Otherwise I would
have missed this groundbreaking show.”

Thomas gripped his fork so tight it snapped in half.

“Chance is my charge—nothing more.”

“Right,” Seth drawled out, “Because guardians always get

this protective.”

“He’s a Raven.”
“So?”
“Have you forgotten what they’ve done to us? It’s

because of them that our younger brothers were missing for
over twenty years.”

“True, but Chance wasn’t part of the group who attacked

our families all those years ago.”

“That still doesn’t change who he is. It’s really easy for

you to forgive. You got Owen back all safe and sound. My
brother on the other hand, lost his mind thanks to the poison
the Ravens gave him.”

Thomas’s chest grew tight as he thought of Colby, who

was now locked up in a cage. Trapped in his Lion form and
out of his mind, they still haven’t found a cure. It was almost
like losing him all over again.

“Again, Chance didn’t have anything to do with that,”

Seth pointed out.

Thomas pressed his lips together and looked down at the

table. He knew that Seth had a point—God, he really did. It
still didn’t change the fact that he felt like he was betraying
Colby by liking Chance.

He frowned as he noticed Chance and Dalton getting up.

The pair took care of their trays before heading for the door.
Muttering a curse, Thomas jumped to his feet and rushed
over, blocking their way.

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“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded.
Dalton rolled his eyes while Chance just directed his gaze

to the ground like he always did while in Thomas’s
presence.

“We’re going to Chance’s bedroom so we can use each

other’s bodies like our own personal set of monkey bars,”
Dalton replied all-too-brightly.

When Thomas let out a growl, Dalton playfully swatted

his chest. “Oh, let it rest, Aslan. I was just teasing. We’re
going back to Chance’s, but it’s just to gab, nothing more.”

“Is that right?” Thomas asked, letting the Aslan comment

slide for now.

Chance slowly raised his gaze, a faint blush covering his

pale cheeks. “Yeah, you don’t have to worry about me
defiling Dalton or anything. He only likes guys who bark.”

For some reason that made Dalton crack up. He wiped his

eyes and added, “That’s so true.”

Thomas felt as if he were two steps behind on the

conversation. He glanced over at Seth who just gave him a
shrug in return. After letting out a sigh, Thomas stepped to
the side, “Fine, just make sure you don’t leave
headquarters.”

“Where would I go?” Chance demanded softly. “My only

family is here, plus it’s not like I have any other options.”

Thomas was fully aware of the desperate measure Chance

had  gone  to  in  order  to  support  his  sister  and  adoptive
brother when they’d been living alone. As always, whenever
Chance  referred  back  to  that  time,  a  look  of  utter  shame
passed  over  his  face.  Strangely,  Thomas  found  himself
wanting to reach out to the smaller man and offer him some
comfort.

Damn it, all this being cooped inside, playing babysitter,

must be getting to Thomas’s head. Otherwise, how in the
hell could he explain away actually feeling sympathetic

Chance’s Vindication

toward a Raven? First thing next morning, he was going to
go to Mitchell and demand a new assignment. Because he
was obviously growing too soft on his current one.

Almost as if sensing Thomas’s animosity, Dalton grabbed

Chance’s hand in a protective manner. The move shocked
Thomas, given that they were in a roomful of felines who
weren’t exactly Raven friendly. Going by the way Chance’s
eyes slightly widened, he was just as surprised by Dalton’s
gesture.

“Actually, we will be leaving headquarters,” Dalton

announced with a stubborn tilt of his chin.

“You will?” Thomas growled.
“We will?” Chance gulped, his gaze fixated on Thomas.
“Yes, but don’t worry your pretty mane over him, Aslan.

I’ll have Shane and Trevor take us, so we don’t need you to
play bodyguard.”

Thomas started to argue, but clamped his mouth shut as

he realized that he’d be hard pressed to find two felines
more suited for the task. As the coalition’s best assassin,
there wasn’t any shifter out there who wanted to tangle with
Shane. Since Trevor was a trained soldier, he could hold his
own, as well.

“I need to know where you’re planning on going,”

Thomas said, still not liking the idea.

Dalton smiled, looking way too pleased with himself.

“The mall.”

Chance frowned. “Why?”
“Because I want to take my new best friend shopping.”
“Who’s your best friend?”
“You.” Dalton grinned.
“Since when?”
It gave Thomas some satisfaction to see that Chance

appeared to be just as lost in the conversation as he was. It
was as if Dalton was playing a game where only he knew

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the rules and he just expected everyone else to follow along.

“Since now,” Dalton replied simply, as if that solved

everything.

“What makes you think that your guardians are going to

agree to take you? Somehow I don’t see Shane blending in
with the mall scene,” Thomas pointed out.

In fact, in his opinion, Shane shouldn’t be let out in public

at  all.  A  raging  sociopath  on  his  best  days,  the  guy  had  a
nasty  habit  of  causing  mayhem  and  homicide.  There  were
even  some  shifter  run  bars  that  had  the  Leopard’s  picture
posted along with a barred-from-this-establishment order.

Dalton made a dismissive waving gesture. “Don’t be so

dramatic. Shane goes to the mall with us all the time.”

Thomas found it unbelievable that Dalton was calling him

dramatic. The irony would have been laughable had Thomas
not been so annoyed. He let out a sigh as he directed his
attention back to Chance. As normal, the Raven had his gaze
directed down at his shoes.

Following Chance’s gaze, Thomas frowned as he noted

that the Raven still wore the same battered, torn sneakers
from the time before he came to the coalition. Come to think
of it, Chance didn’t have too many clothes. While he’d been
issued a few basic outfits of white tees and blue jeans, that
seemed to be the extent of his wardrobe.

It didn’t sit right with Thomas that anyone under the

protection of the coalition should be wanting for anything.
Sure Chance may be a Raven, but in a strange way…he was
their Raven. So shouldn’t he be taken better care of?

“I don’t mind if you leave, Chance. If you want, I’ll even

go to Mitchell and see if he can give you some money to pick
up a few things.”

A deep blush covered Chance’s cheeks. “That’s okay, I

have enough.”

“No, you don’t.”

Chance’s Vindication

Chance shook his head. “I couldn’t.”
Dalton rolled his eyes. “Here’s my first friend-to-friend

tip, when somebody offers you shopping money you
always, always take it.”

Despite himself, Thomas laughed at the brat’s advice.

“He’s right. You should take me up on my offer.”

“But why would Mitchell want to give me anything? He’s

already done enough by offering us sanctuary in the first
place.” Chance nipped on his bottom lip as he continued to
stare at his sneakers.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Thomas

reached over and tucked a couple of fingers under Chance’s
chin. Lifting up, he made Chance finally lock gazes with
him. “It’s not charity. You’ve done plenty to earn your keep
here.”

A wavering smile covered Chance’s face. “Not really. I

don’t fight worth a crap, so I’m useless as a soldier. I can’t
even give you guys any good inside information on Ravens
since I haven’t lived with them since I was a toddler.”

“You’ve been helping out at the library,” Thomas pointed

out.

He wondered why it seemed so damn important to him

that Chance realized he had some worth. It couldn’t be
helped though, because like it or not, Thomas found himself
feeling protective over the Raven. Which just proved that he
really did need to be reassigned before he became too
attached to Chance.

Then Chance gave him a full-out smile, one that was so

bright it somehow even made those dark eyes seem happy,
and  Thomas  knew  he  really  had  to  put  some  distance
between  them.  Otherwise  he  was  bound  to  do  something
crazy,  like  actually  give  into  the  strange  desires  he  was
suddenly feeling.

Chance gave a half-shrug. “I only help out a little bit at

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the library, so it’s really not a big deal. I just wish I could do
more.”

“We both know that’s not possible. Mitchell and I both

have been looking for other assignments for you, but it
hasn’t been easy. It’s not like there are many felines willing
to work with you.”

As soon as he heard Dalton’s gasp of outrage, Thomas

realized how mean his comment came off. Chance took a
step back, out of Thomas’s reach.

Dropping his gaze back to the ground, Chance gave a

small nod. “Yeah, I guess you have a point.”

Unfortunately, Dalton didn’t back down as easily. He let

out a low hiss of anger as his eyes narrowed dangerously.
“You’re lucky Chance likes you, otherwise I’d ask Shane to
kick your ass.”

“It’s okay, Thomas is just telling the truth,” Chance

muttered.

“And I’m just telling the truth when I say that he’s an

arrogant jerk,” Dalton shot back.

He reached out and grabbed Chance’s hand. Shooting

daggers, Dalton fired off his next insult, “So tell me. Are all
Lions such asshats, or is it just a trait unique to you?”

Chance made a small noise. At first Thomas thought it

was a sniff. Then he studied the man’s face closer, and
realized that Chance was actually laughing at him. Maybe
Chance wasn’t quite as docile as Thomas believed.

Then he recalled how protective Chance had been over

Dulla and Xavier when they’d first been discovered by the
felines. He’d actually placed his body between his siblings
and the coalition soldiers. Thomas found himself wondering
who the true Chance was. Was the Raven timid and docile,
or strong and protective?

Keeping his gaze directed on Chance, Thomas replied, “I

find that it’s a trait that only I carry.”

Chance’s Vindication

Now there was no mistaking that there was a smile

creeping  up  on  Chance’s  face.  Before  Thomas  could  fully
enjoy it, Dalton jerked Chance away. Thomas stood there a
moment, watching them  leave, before he let out a sigh and
went  in  the  opposite  direction  to  Mitchell’s  office.  He  took
two steps before he remembered that Mitchell wasn’t in.

Great—so much for talking to him about getting the funds

for  Chance.  Thomas  ran  his  hand  through  his  hair  as  he
debated  his  options.  He  had  more  than  enough  in  his  own
account,  but  he  somehow  doubted  that  Chance  would  take
it,  especially  if  he  thought  taking  money from  the  coalition
would be charity.

Then Thomas thought back to Chance’s shoes and their

piss poor condition and he realized he didn’t have a choice.
He’d just lie to Chance and tell him that it came from
Mitchell. What the guy didn’t know, couldn’t hurt him.

Changing directions, Thomas raced outside. If he hurried,

he’d be able to make it to the bank in time before it closed.
Since it was Friday, it stayed open later than usual. He just
needed to figure out how much one needed for a mall trip.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Three

hance’s mind whirled as Dalton dragged him through all
the different stores of the mall. Growing up in such a

remote area, Chance had never been to a real grocery store,
let alone a large shopping center and his mind was
threatening to go into overload from all the stimulation.

There were so many new sights and smells, from the

warm aroma of the roasted nut stand to the candle shop, that
Chance didn’t know which one he wanted to explore first.
Lucky for him, Dalton took charge and led the way.

Shane and Trevor tagged a few steps behind, keeping

watch, but still giving Chance and Dalton space. Even that
far back, Chance was very aware of the effect Shane had on
the crowd. They all but tripped over themselves to get out of
his way, all of them shooting the small shifter wary glances.
While Shane’s outward appearance may be all sweet and
innocent, inside lurked a dangerous vibe that even humans
could sense.

“So, what is your deal with those two?” Chance finally

asked.

Dalton shrugged as he began to look through a rack of

shirts. “For a while Trevor and I were held captive by some
Cobra shifter. During that time we became really tight. Then
I grew close to Shane when he rescued me. So when I
needed a place to stay, they both offered to be my
guardians.”

“So, they’re like foster parents or something?”

Chance’s Vindication

Shane and Trevor didn’t look to be much older than

Chance. So it would make for an odd relationship to say the
least.

“No, it’s more like a brother kind of thing.” A brief flicker

of sadness passed over Dalton’s face. “Which is kind of nice
to have again. When the Cobra captured me, he killed off the
rest of my litter.”

Chance reached out and put a comforting hand of

Dalton’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry. That must suck.”

Losing his parents had been bad enough. He didn’t even

want to imagine how painful it would have been to lose
Dulla and Xavier, too.

“I’m not going to lie, it does. I often wonder why the

snake decided that I should live while the others died.”

“Did you ever find out why he took you in the first

place?”

“To breed me. They decided it would be much easier to

grow their own food, rather than hunt it.”

A shiver of revulsion went down Chance’s spine. “That’s

wrong on so many levels.”

Dalton gave another shrug as he continued to go through

the clothes. “What do you expect? Everybody knows that
snakes and Ravens are just big wastes of space.”

The words hung heavy in the air. Dalton flushed as he

closed his eyes, his mouth forming a soundless curse.
Chance meanwhile felt the same angry punch of rejection.

“Fuck, Chance. I didn’t mean that. You and Dulla are so

different from the rest of the Ravens, I sometimes forget that
you’re one of them.”

Chance gave a light chuckle that he was nowhere near

really feeling. “It’s okay. I just wish that I could forget who I
am, too.”

Dalton abandoned the clothes and put both hands on

Chance’s shoulders. “Stop thinking like that. You have

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nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t let my stupid mouth make
you feel less about yourself.”

Chance reached up and toyed with his hair. “You’re not

stupid, just truthful. I know who I am. Every time I look in
the mirror, I’m reminded of it.”

“That’s it, we’re going to the salon.”
Dalton grabbed Chance’s hand and dragged him from the

store. Chance was beginning to feel a little bit like an errant
puppy  dog.  He  glanced  over  at  Trevor  and  Shane  to  see
them  obediently  following,  so  at  least  Chance  knew  he
wasn’t  the  only  one  heeling  to  Dalton’s  commands.  It  gave
Chance some bit of comfort realizing that even badass Shane
wasn’t immune to Dalton’s influence.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Chance asked, his

fingers once more going to his head. “I’ve never dyed my
hair before.”

“So what? There’s a first time for everything. Besides, you

need to live a little.”

The salon was just a short walking distance away and

before  Chance  knew  it,  his  sorry  ass  was  sitting  in  a  chair.
He  sat  in  silence  as  Dalton  gave  the  stylist  instructions.
Somewhere  between  blue  and  highlights  Chance  darted  a
help-me look in Trevor and Shane’s direction. Both of whom
had the audacity to grin and shrug in response.

So Chance just took it like a man. By the time the slow

and painful process was done, he stared at himself in the
mirror, stunned at the new him. Who would have thought
that a simple cut and color could make so much difference?

“Wow,” he whispered.
The top of his hair was styled in classy looking spikes.

While  some  of  them  were  the  normal  dark  color,  just  as
many  were  now  deep  blue  or  purple.  Before  he’d  allowed
his hair to hang into his eyes, since he hated them, but now
only  one  small  lock  obscured  them.  Funny  thing  was,  they

Chance’s Vindication

didn’t seem as bad with his new haircut.

“You look fantastic,” Dalton said. “Not that you didn’t

look good before, but I think this makeover is going to really
cheer you up.”

As Chance continued to study his reflection, he wondered

what Thomas would think of the new look. Chance quickly
shoved that thought away. Makeover or not, there was no
way Thomas would ever see Chance as anything other than
a Raven.

After they paid, they made their way upstairs to the food

court, Dalton once again leading the way. When they sat
down, this time Shane and Trevor opted to stay close.

Chance found himself feeling a bit self-conscious. Mostly

because Shane was, well…Shane, plus Trevor was
intimidating in his own way. With dark, floppy hair and a
thin, yet muscular build, Chance could have been attracted
to him. That is if Chance wasn’t already harboring a pathetic
crush for Thomas.

He sighed as he played with his plate of pizza. It was just

as well anyway. Something told him that Shane didn’t like it
too well when guys ogled his mate and if there was one
feline that Chance never wanted to piss off it was the
Leopard.

Trevor flashed a bright smile. “Your hair looks really

great. I think the new clothes do, too.”

Chance attempted to smile back, despite the nerves

playing havoc on his insides. Since most felines just
pretended he didn’t exist, whenever one actually did decide
to chat with him, Chance became a jumble of nerves.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.
Shane leaned forward, his doe eyes seeming to bore

inside Chance’s skull. “Relax, we don’t bite. Well, Trevor
doesn’t. I do, but only when I don’t like you.”

“And we like you,” Trevor added.

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That comment finally got Chance to completely look up

as shock coursed through him. “You do?”

“Sure, Dalton wouldn’t bother with you if he didn’t think

you were at least halfway decent,” Shane finished.

“See, I told you they were great,” Dalton beamed as he

took a big bite of pizza.

“I know some of the others are giving you a hard time,

but you just have to ignore them,” Trevor advised.

Shane gave a tight grin. “He’s right. Plus, you’ll find out

that it doesn’t matter what others think of you. The only
opinions that matter are the ones from your friends and
loved ones.”

Problem was Chance was running low on both of those.

He didn’t say as much though, instead just nodding.

They slipped into idle chitchat, mostly discussing the

wedding that’d taken place that day. Dalton did most of the
talking as he described what everybody wore. It soon
became evident that he thought the Wolf pack was in dire
need of a fashion intervention.

“I’m serious, they are stuck in the eighties. I actually saw

one dude wearing parachute pants. I didn’t even think they
still sold those.” Dalton shuddered, showing just how much
the style faux pas had offended him.

Trevor and Chance laughed, Shane gave a smile that soon

morphed into a snarl as he glared at something over
Chance’s shoulder. Trevor tensed, “What is it?”

“A group of Ravens and they’re heading our way,” Shane

growled.

Fear clawed at Chance’s chest, as a cold sweat broke out

over his body. “How many are there?”

“A half dozen and they all look like soldiers.”
Chance gulped. Oh crap, the situation had the potential to

go all kinds of bad. He gripped the edge of the table as he
wondered if things would become physical. Dear fuck he

Chance’s Vindication

hoped not. While he could put on a good front if needed, in
reality, he couldn’t fight worth a damn.

Dalton reached out and grabbed his hand, giving him a

reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. Shane can take on ten dozen
Ravens.”

“Do you think they’ll try anything funky? I mean, we’re

surrounded by humans,” Chance pointed out.

With the exception of a few select individuals in the

government and law enforcement, most humans didn’t
know about the existence of shifters. Despite their conflicts,
that was a secret most of the breeds strove to keep to. None
of them wanted to end up hunted or worse, experimented
on.

“Just keep your cool,” Trevor said even as his hand slid

under his coat.

Chance sucked in a breath as he realized that Trevor was

grabbing for a gun. Oh, yay! Gunfight at the Flint Mall Food
Court. Just his idea of a fun time.

The Ravens approached their table. As always, they

carried  the  strong  scent  of  rot  and  garbage.  Chance’s
knowledge of Ravens may be limited, but he did know that
was due to their habit of rolling around in their food before
they  ate  it.  Since  Ravens  liked  their  meat  nice  and  putrid,
that  made  things  all  the  more  disgusting.  Thank  God  his
own parents hadn’t followed that tradition. When they’d left
the  murder,  they’d  also  left  behind  a  lot  of  questionable
traditions and practices.

One of the Ravens put his hands on the top of the table

and leaned in, his face turned in Chance’s direction. The bird
made a big show of sniffing loudly, “Fuck, you really stink.”

Chance clenched his teeth together as he fought to keep

from trembling in fear. He shot a glance at the group of
Ravens. As always, they looked like a biker gang gone bad,
with their all black leather attire and thick-soled boots. They

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wore their dark hair the same way, too, in thick greasy
hunks that framed their overly pale faces.

Is this what Thomas sees whenever he looks at me?
Shane let out a low growl. “In case you bird brains forgot,

we’re out in public. So back the fuck off.”

The lead Raven gave a cruel smile. “I’ll tell you what,

Psycho Sally, you give us our stray member and we’ll
happily leave you and the other kitties alone.”

Chance’s stomach curdled in fear as he realized that he

was the stray member in question. Shane let out another
snarl, this one a bit louder. “I’ll tell you what, you and your
asshole buddies leave now and I won’t make you bleed all
over these nice clean floors.”

The Raven reached out and trailed one knuckle along

Chance’s cheek. Although he tried like hell, Chance couldn’t
hide  the  shudder  of  revulsion  that  went  through  him.
Instead  of  angering  the  Raven  though,  it  only  seemed  to
amuse  him.  He  let  out  a  dark  laugh.  “It’s  going  to  be  so
much fun breaking you. I can’t wait to show you what we do
to traitors.”

Shane exchanged knowing looks with Trevor, then said,

“Last warning. You assholes have five seconds to go
away…five…”

The leader ignored Shane. Instead, he caressed Chance’s

cheek again. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be
begging for me to kill you.”

“…four…”
“You’ll find out the hard way why it’s not smart to make

nice with felines.”

“…three…”
“And then when I’m done with you, I may let you live

long enough for the other soldiers to play around with.”

“Ah, to hell with the countdown. I’m sick of listening to

this fucker,” Shane snapped.

Chance’s Vindication

He stood up at the same time, throwing the table to the

side.  The  Ravens  all  scrambled  to  get  out  the  way  as  pizza
and  soda  went  flying  everywhere.  Meanwhile,  all  the
surrounding  humans  began  to  scream  and  run  for  the  exit.
Or at least half of them ran, a good portion stayed behind to
watch the show.

“Dalton, take cover,” Shane ordered as he pulled out a

wicked set of daggers.

Trevor did likewise. Chance let out a sigh of relief that it

wasn’t  his  gun.  The  last  thing  they  needed  was  more
attention  being  diverted  their  way…if  that  was  even
possible,  given  the  spectacle  they  were  already  making  of
themselves.

Dalton grabbed Chance and dragged him under a nearby

table as the Ravens recovered and moved in on Trevor and
Shane. When Shane threw back his head and let out a
wicked sounding laugh, Chance shivered.

“Don’t worry, Shane would never hurt you,” Dalton

soothed. “He’s one of the good guys.”

It was kind of hard to believe those words, especially

when Shane spun the blades and attacked. Damn, the
Leopard fought with such scary, precise efficiency. It was
almost as if he were built just to kill.

A couple of Ravens charged Shane at once, he kicked one

in the gut before slashing his blade around and slicing the
arm of another. They hadn’t even fallen to the ground before
Shane took down another one, this time by smashing his
elbow into the attacker’s face.

“He did try to warn you,” Trevor tsked at the Ravens.
Chance wondered why in the hell the birds didn’t get the

message and run in the opposite direction. Hell, if it’d been
him, he’d already be racing down I-75 by now. Not these
guys though, they seemed to be full of stupid and unable to
catch a clue.

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More humans ran for the exit as they realized the free

show just wasn’t worth putting themselves in danger.
Chance didn’t blame them, had it not been for the fact that
the Ravens blocked their path, he would have grabbed
Dalton and scrammed, too.

One of the Ravens got in a lucky punch, his first

connecting  solidly  with  Trevor’s  jaw.  Shane  let  out  an
unearthly  roar  as  he  picked  the  Raven  up  and  threw  him
across  the  courtyard.  The  Raven’s  body  hit  the  wall  with  a
loud thud before he fell to the ground.

“Ouch.” Chance winced in sympathy when he saw the

Raven wasn’t moving.

Dalton let out a yelp of fear when a Raven crawled under

the table they’d taken cover at. Letting out a freaky hissing
noise, the bird began to make swiping motions at the Lynx.

Reacting purely on instinct, Chance threw his body over

Dalton in a protective gesture. Now that he’d finally found
somebody who was willing to be his friend, Chance was
going to be damned before he saw any harm come to the
little guy.

The Raven’s claws scored into Chance’s side, ripping his

t-shirt and leaving behind bloody furrows. Even though it
hurt like a bitch, Chance didn’t move away. If anything, he
brought Dalton in tighter to his chest.

“Traitor,” the Raven snarled.
He swiped his claws out again, this time hitting Chance in

the face. He whimpered as searing pain lanced his cheek, the
warm trickle of blood soon following.

“Are you willing to die for a feline?” the Raven

demanded.

“Yes,” Chance replied without a moment’s hesitation.
The Raven pulled back his hand. Chance tensed, waiting

for another blow to come his way. A loud roar of anger filled
the air right before the Raven let out a cry of agony.

Chance’s Vindication

Chance lifted his head just in time to see the Raven being

tossed to the side, a wave of crimson covering his face.
Shane let out another roar as he gave the Raven’s limp form
another kick.

Trevor rushed over and held out his hand to Chance. “It’s

okay, you can come out now. We took care of all of them, so
it’s safe.”

Chance glanced over at Shane. Given the fact that the guy

was covered in his combatant’s blood and wearing a look of
pure fury, Chance knew he should be terrified. Instead, he
felt protected for he knew that no harm could come to him
so long as the Leopard had his back.

Reaching out, Chance grabbed Trevor’s hand and allowed

the  feline  to  pull  him  from  under  the  table.  Shane  helped
Dalton  and  the  four  of  them  stood  there  in  silence  for  a
moment as they surveyed the damage.

There was a whole lot of damage to survey, too. While

three of the Ravens had retreated, the others remained. Since
they weren’t moving, Chance couldn’t tell if they were alive
or not, but he wasn’t about to approach any of them to check
for a pulse.

The Ravens laid amid piles of stomped on food,

splintered tables and discarded shopping bags. The few
remaining humans finally got wise and evacuated, so it was
only shifters present amongst the mess. Not even the mall
security was there.

“Mitchell’s going to piss kittens over this one,” Trevor

finally said as he kicked at a tray lying on the ground.

“He can’t blame me this time. I gave the jerks a

countdown. They just chose to ignore it,” Shane defended.

Technically Shane only gave them a half of a countdown,

but Chance wasn’t about to point that out. Footsteps
pounded up the stairs before they found themselves on the
wrong end of the barrel of a bunch of guns being held by

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members of the Flint Police department.

Chance held his hands up in the classic I-surrender pose.
Shane on the other hand, just smirked, “Hey, Officer

Phil.”

One of the cops let out a curse as he lowered his gun.

“Hell, not again. I’m getting really tired of you damn shifters
messing up the mall.”

Chance’s Vindication

Chapter Four

ince Chance was with Shane, Thomas didn’t have to
worry about watching over the Raven. So, since he had

some free time on his hands, Thomas decided to pay his
brother a visit.

As he descended the stairs, leading to the coalition’s jail,

he steeled himself for the upcoming encounter. While he
made it a point to visit Colby several times a week, it still felt
like a fresh punch to the gut whenever he saw him.

Thomas walked through the jail, going toward the back,

where they kept the more high-risk prisoners. Colby hadn’t
broken the law, like most of the inhabitants, but that didn’t
make him any less dangerous.

As he got closer, Thomas was able to make out the growls

and  snarls  coming  from  Colby.  The  sounds  mixed  in  with
those  coming  from  the  others  who  were  suffering from  the
same condition as  Colby. The noises so feral and agonized,
that  they  made  goosebumps  break  out  all  over  Thomas’s
skin.  It  made  him  wonder  just  how  much  Colby  was
suffering and if somewhere deep inside he still held onto a
sane piece of his mind. It made Thomas sick to think of his
brother being trapped in that kind of way.

All because the Ravens had decided to play God and force

the  young  feline  shifters  into  early  transformation.  The
poison the birds had used to serve that purpose had worked.
It’d  made  several  innocents  shift  before  their  twenty-fifth
birthday,  unfortunately  for  some,  there’d  been  a  nasty  side

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effect. A couple dozen had been driven mad from the pain
brought on when they’d shifted before they were ready.
Now they were feral and trapped in their animal state with
no cure in sight.

Thomas stopped before the cell that held Colby. The room

was stark, with only a pallet in one corner. Three of the walls
were steel, the front one glass, so Colby could be observed at
all times. That still didn’t mean Colby couldn’t hear
Thomas’s approach. A fact he demonstrated when he
snarled and leapt at the glass.

Thomas flinched as the Lion slammed into the thick glass.

Colby recovered quickly, shaking his head, then letting out
another snarl. The other feral shifters replied with snarls and
growls of their own, the sound almost deafening.

As he put his palm against the glass, Thomas recalled the

last time he’d seen his brother in human form. It’d been over
twenty years ago, when Colby was a mere three years old.
Thomas had just helped put his brother to bed when the
Ravens attacked their home.

Thomas and his parents had fought hard, but they’d been

vastly  outnumbered.  During  the  battle,  Thomas  had  been
knocked  unconscious  and  left  for  dead. He’d  woken  to  the
smell of smoke, his family home burning down around him.
He’d barely made it out alive. He’d quickly found out  that
his  family  had  not  been  the  only  ones  attacked  that  night.
The Ravens had murdered countless feline families.

For almost every one of those twenty-plus years, Thomas

had believed that he’d been the only one who survived that
horror of a night. Then he’d learned that Hawks had rescued
hundreds of feline children and hid them amongst humans.

Thomas had almost been too afraid to hope that Colby

had been one of the lucky ones saved, but then he’d received
the best news of all, Colby was not only alive but he lived
nearby in Clarkston, Michigan.

Chance’s Vindication

Thomas was just on his way to bring Colby home when

the final tragedy struck and now Colby was trapped as a
Lion and feral. So while, Thomas finally had his brother
back, he’d only lost him again in a cruel twist of irony.

His thoughts drifted to Chance and how complicated

things  had  become.  As  he  stood  in  front  of  his  deranged
brother,  Thomas  wanted  to  hate  Chance.  He  really,  really
did. After all, it was Ravens who put Colby in this condition.

Thomas just couldn’t though, because right or wrong,

he’d come to care about Chance. Which made Thomas feel
like a huge traitor.

Thomas rested his forehead against the glass as he

continued to roll the problem over in his head. He knew he
really should go through with his earlier plan and ask
Mitchell to reassign him. The only problem was the thought
of anybody else watching over Chance made Thomas want
to snarl in denial. It was almost as if Chance were the last
cookie in the jar and damned if Thomas was going to share.

Thomas stayed there for a few more moments before

finally pushing himself away from the glass. He then made
his way back upstairs. As soon as he walked into the main
area of headquarters and saw all the commotion, he knew
something big had gone down. People were rushing around
and yelling and one of the teams were gearing up to go out.
Thomas reached out and grabbed a Hawk shifter named
Gage.

“What in the hell is going on?”
“Shane and Trevor ran into some trouble while at the

mall.”

Thomas’s heart sank. “Were Dalton and Chance still with

them?”

Gage nodded. “From what I heard at least one of them is

wounded.”

An irrational wave of fear clawed at Thomas’s chest at the

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mere thought of any harm coming to Chance. Gripping
Gage’s arm tighter, Thomas demanded, “Which one was it?”

The Hawk shot an irritated glance down to where

Thomas was holding him. “I don’t know. You want to let up
there? You’re kind of hurting me?”

Thomas ignored him, too worried about Chance to be

concerned about anything else. “How bad are they injured?”

“How am I supposed to know? They’re on their way in

now. Wait by the door for them to arrive, if you’re that
anxious.”

Gage jerked his arm away. Thomas let him go and made

his way to the front of the building. He spotted Jacyn, one of
Mitchell’s many brothers. The Jaguar was still in his tuxedo
from the wedding and he wore an angry scowl on his
normally boyishly handsome face.

“What’s going on?” Thomas asked as he rushed over. “I

heard there was some trouble at the mall, but that’s all the
details I’ve been able to get.”

“Some idiot Ravens attacked Chance, Dalton, Shane and

Trevor. Shane being who he was, handed their asses to them
in grand style,” Jacyn growled.

In other words, Shane destroyed the mall and scared the

hell out of countless human witnesses.

“I also heard that somebody was injured.” Please don’t be

Chance. Please don’t be Chance.

“Yeah, it was Chance,” Jacyn replied.
Fuck! Thomas swallowed hard. “How bad is it?”
“Just some pretty vicious scratches to the face and side. I

guess he threw himself over Dalton and took the brunt of the
attack.”

That sounded like something that Chance would do.

While  the  Raven’s  protective  side  was  sweet,  Thomas  was
going  to  strangle  him  for  being  so  reckless.  Would  it  hurt
Chance to look out for himself for once?

Chance’s Vindication

“They’re here now,” Jacyn announced.
The medic rushed forward, Thomas by his side. Shane

had an arm around Chance’s shoulders and was assisting
the younger man in walking. Chance had one hand held to
his side in the proactive gesture, in the other, he held a rag. It
was pressed to his cheek and stained with blood.

“I just can’t let you out of my sight,” Thomas said as he

gazed up and down Chance’s body, looking for further
injuries.

Chance gave him a lopsided smile. “It’s much worse than

it looks.”

Shane grunted. “Said the guy who almost fainted.”
“That’s just because of all the blood.” Chance shuddered.

“I could never stand looking at the stuff.”

“Then you really shouldn’t hang out with Shane,” Jacyn

quipped as he took over in holding Chance up. “Let’s get
you to the infirmary and check these wounds out.”

Thomas found himself tagging behind as Jacyn led

Chance to the large infirmary in the back of the building.

“Tell me the whole story,” Thomas demanded.
At the same time, he had to resist the urge to brush Jacyn

aside  so  he  could  take  over  the  task  of  helping  Chance.
Balling  his  hands  into  fists,  Thomas  jammed  them  into  the
front  pockets  of  his  uniform  jacket.  Maybe  if  he  kept  his
hands  hidden,  he  wouldn’t  give  into  his  own  protective
urges.

Chance glanced over his shoulder. “We were at the food

court, minding our own business when some Ravens came
up and started giving me a hard time. Seems they don’t like
the fact that I’m making nice with you felines and they
wanted to teach me a lesson.”

“How?”
“By taking me back to their place and torturing me. There

was also some mentioning of killing me, too.” Chance

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shrugged, then winced in pain, his hand rubbing his injured
side.

A low growl filled the air and Thomas was shocked to

find the noise was coming from him. “What happened
next?”

“Shane told them to leave, they refused and all hell broke

loose.”

“Did you really shield Dalton with your body?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Why?”
Chance curled up his lip. “Because it was me they were

after, so why should he have to pay the price? Does it
surprise you that I can be considerate just because I’m a
Raven?”

As usual, Chance’s onyx gaze didn’t give a clue to his

emotions, but there was no mistaking the hurt undertone to
his voice. Thomas silently cursed himself for not wording his
question  better.  Why  was  he  always  putting  his  foot  in  his
mouth as far as Chance was concerned? What’s more, since
when  did  Chance  start  standing  up  for  himself?  Sure,  he
may  have  yelled  before,  but  it  was  always  only  when  it
concerned Dulla or Xavier. As far as Thomas knew, Chance
never fought back on his own account.

“That’s not it at all. I was just admiring you,” Thomas

said.

Chance pulled up short, almost making Jacyn trip. “I

must have taken a much harder blow to the head than I
thought because I did not just hear you say that you admire
me.”

“I do.”
“Why?”
“Because there aren’t that many—be they Raven, feline or

Wolf—who would sacrifice their own safety for another.”

Chance paused, as he appeared to be thinking that one

Chance’s Vindication

over. Almost as if he couldn’t believe that he was actually
receiving a compliment. In the end, he finally said, “He’s my
friend.”

Thomas cocked a brow. “You guys have only really

known each other for a day.”

“Sometimes that’s all it takes,” Chance defended.
Chance did have a point. Some of Thomas’s closest

buddies had been the ones he found his first days of living at
the coalition.

Jacyn let out an aggravated sounding sigh. “Can we wrap

this up? I didn’t leave my sister’s wedding just so I can
watch you two have a Glee-like tender moment.”

Thomas slid his gaze over to the medic. “Has anybody

told you that you act more like Brent with each passing
day?”

Jacyn rolled his eyes. “All the time.”
They started to walk again and this time Thomas didn’t

hold himself back from helping. “Here, there’s no sense in
you getting blood all over your tux.”

It seemed like a reasonable enough excuse to Thomas, but

the knowing look in Jacyn’s eyes showed he didn’t buy it for
a second. He still relinquished control of Chance. Thomas
slid his arm around Chance’s waist, taking care to hold onto
his uninjured side.

Chance let out a soft groan before he relaxed against

Thomas. It wasn’t lost on Thomas how well they seemed to
fit together. He also noted, not for the first time, just how
nice Chance smelled. Unlike most other Ravens, he carried a
nice earthy, crisp scent that reminded Thomas of a forest
during the fall season.

“You did something to your hair,” he observed, noting

the new streaks of purple and blue.

While it should have come across as punkish, instead it

seemed to fit Chance. The cut looked good, too, the dark

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hair, styled into carefully arranged spikes, some of which
swooped down to frame his face.

“It was Dalton’s idea. Does it look stupid?”
“No, it looks nice.”
They reached the infirmary. Jacyn pointed to an empty cot

and  Thomas  all  but  lifted  Chance  up  to  sit  on  it.  Shooing
Thomas  to  the  side,  Jacyn  carefully  peeled  away  the  rag
covering  one  side  of  Chance’s  face,  to  reveal  four,  long
furrows that were still oozing blood.

“These look like they hurt,” Jacyn said as he dabbed some

blood away.

“The ones on my side are worse,” Chance admitted.
Jacyn lifted up Chance’s top to reveal even more

scratches, these ones looking much deeper. Thomas winced
in sympathy. No wonder the guy had needed some help
walking. Everybody knew how much Raven scratches ached
and Chance had a double dose to deal with. Yet, as always,
Chance had just dealt with his discomfort in silence.

“Can you shift yet?” Jacyn asked. “I know that Ravens

usually have their first transformation by the time they’re
twenty.”

Chance started violently, almost as if somebody had

bitch-slapped him. “Why?”

“Because you’ll heal then.”
“No…well, I mean I shifted once before, but I don’t think

I can do it again,” Chance stammered.

“You should try,” Jacyn urged.
“Nah, I think I’ll just heal the old-fashioned way. Thanks,

anyway.” Chance tugged his shirt down before he averted
his gaze to the ground.

Thomas exchanged confused looks with Jacyn.
“If you’re afraid of it hurting, one of us could talk you

through the shift,” Jacyn offered.

Chance shook his head. “I’d rather not.”

Chance’s Vindication

“Don’t be stubborn. You don’t have to suffer through

some pain to prove a point to us.” Thomas sighed.

“I know.”
“Then does that mean you’ll shift?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to.”
Frustrated beyond belief, Thomas ran his hands through

his hair. “Do you realize how trying you can be at times?”

“Yes, but that still doesn’t mean I’m going to shift.”
“Why, not?” Thomas repeated, feeling a bit like a pissed

off parrot.

Chance finally looked up and it was so he could glare at

Thomas. “Because I said so.”

Thomas took a step back. Both because he was shocked

that Chance was finally standing up for himself and because
this new assertive side to the  Raven was hot as hell. Desire
coursed through Thomas as Chance continued to glower at
him.  Thomas  attempted  to  shoot  back  his  own  dirty  look,
but  it  was  damn  hard,  when  all  he  could  think  about  was
how it would feel to kiss Chance. Hell, Thomas wanted to do
more  than  just  kiss  Chance.  He  yearned  to  grab  the  Raven
and  drag  him  to  the  nearest  private  place  so  they  could
really get to know one another.

Jacyn held his palms up. “Okay, okay. No need for

drama. I can treat Chance the old-fashioned way. Just give
me a second and I’ll grab some painkillers and a suture kit.”

After he left, Thomas stepped closer and asked, “Why are

you being so stubborn about this?”

“Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question.”
“You do realize what a suture kit is, don’t you? He’s

going to come over and sew your injuries shut. Why go
through all that pain when a simple shift will take care of
everything?”

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Chance narrowed his eyes. “What do you care? I know

how you feel about me. I would think you’d be thrilled to
see a Raven go through some pain.”

For the second time in a span of minutes, Thomas felt

taken aback with shock. Had he really been that transparent?
If so, then how was it that Chance couldn’t see how
Thomas’s feelings had changed?

Thomas took a deep breath, then said, “I don’t hate you.

In fact—”

Dalton rushed into the room, cutting Thomas off. “Oh my

God, Chance. There you are. I was worried.”

The Lynx launched himself at Chance, wrapping his thin

arms around Chance’s chest. “How are you feeling?”

“Probably a lot better before you threw yourself at him

and aggravated his injuries,” Thomas drawled.

Dalton slowly turned, flipped Thomas off, then returned

his attention to Chance. “Are you okay?”

Chance nodded. “Yeah, Jacyn is going to give me some

stitches and pain meds, then I’ll be good as new.”

“I’m just glad you weren’t wearing one of your new shirts

when that jerk clawed you.” Dalton gave Chance another
hug, this one more tender than before. “Shane and Trevor
made sure to grab all your bags so you didn’t lose anything
in the fight.”

“Is Shane going to get into trouble for making such a

mess?” Chance asked.

It stunned Thomas to hear the genuine concern in

Chance’s  voice.  Not  because  the  guy  was  a  Raven,  but
because  there  weren’t  too  many  who  would  worry  over
Shane.  While  he’d  redeemed  himself  in  the  eyes  of  many
coalition members, there were still a lot more that feared and
hated the Leopard.

Dalton shook his head. “Nah, Mitchell may grumble at

him some, but he’ll realize that Shane didn’t have any

Chance’s Vindication

choice.”

“He could have just let them take me,” Chance suggested.
They both jumped when Thomas let out a loud snarl. “I’ll

die before I let them get their claws on you.”

Dalton’s lips pressed together in a knowing smirk while

Chance just huffed. “You’ll have to excuse Thomas. For
some reason, in the past few minutes, he’s taking his role of
guardian very seriously.”

“Really?” Dalton cocked his head to the side, an impish

smile covering his lips. “He better watch it or some people
are going to say he’s a little too overprotective of you.”

“Don’t joke around,” Chance admonished.
“I’m not. I’d even go a bit further by saying that I’ve only

seen mates get that possessive over somebody.”

Thomas’s chest grew tight at that suggestion. Sure, he

may be attracted to Chance, but mates? Dalton really did get
overdramatic at times. Chance must have thought the same
thing because he let out a short burst of laughter.

“You may want Jacyn to check your head out to make

sure it didn’t get hit during the battle. You must have
something knocked loose if you think Thomas would ever
want me that way. I’m a Raven…remember?”

Thomas opened his mouth to argue once more that he

didn’t lump Chance in with the rest of the Ravens. Before he
could get a word out, Jacyn came back over and pulled the
curtain closed.

“Okay, let’s get everything set up. First I’ll give you a shot

of painkiller, then Doc Featherstone will be over to sew you
up.”

Jacyn held up a syringe. Chance’s gaze locked in on the

needle and against all odds, he somehow managed to grow
paler. Letting out a small yelp, his eyes rolled up into his
head and he slumped over to the side.

Thomas rushed forward and caught him before he could

Chance’s Vindication

Chapter Five

hance buried his face into the pillow and let out a moan
of embarrassment. Had he really fainted? Oh God, could

he get any lamer? Really, who does that besides southern
belles and Oprah audience members?

Just when he thought he couldn’t make himself look

worse in Thomas’s eyes, Chance had to go and pull that
stunt. Now he’d be lucky if the Lion didn’t laugh in his face
every time they talked.

“There, we’re all done,” Jacyn announced as he applied

the last bit of surgical tape to the bandage on Chance’s side.

Doc Featherstone had left as soon as he finished with the

sutures. Not before giving Chance a healthy dose of ribbing.
Chance didn’t want to say so aloud, but the coalition doctor
really needed to work on his bedside manner.

Thomas sat on the edge of the bed, just in the same spot

he’d been since Chance woke up. As if that weren’t strange
enough, Thomas even held his hand the entire time he was
being stitched up.

Not that Chance wasn’t grateful for the comfort. There

were times when, despite the local anesthetic, he could feel
the needle tugging on his skin. If it hadn’t been for Thomas
squeezing his hand and whispering soft words of
encouragement, Chance would have fainted again for sure.

Chance sat up and let out a sigh of relief when the

movement didn’t cause any pain. Whatever drugs Jacyn had
given him via that big ass needle really did the job.

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“Make sure you keep the bandage dry and take your pain

pills on time,” Jacyn ordered.

“I’ll make sure he gets them,” Thomas offered.
Xavier or Dulla were both capable of that task, but

Chance didn’t point that out. He just figured that Thomas
was saying it to be nice and once he got Chance back to his
apartment, the Lion would dump Chance’s care into his
siblings’ laps.

Chance slid off the cot and stood, glad to find that he

wasn’t too high that he couldn’t function normally. He was
glad, since he didn’t relish the idea of making a further ass
out of himself. When Thomas reached out to help him,
Chance held up a staying hand. “I’m fine. If you want you
can take off. I’ll be able to walk myself to my place.”

Thomas ignored him, reaching out and snagging an arm

around Chance’s waist. Chance held back a moan of desire
as  he  found  himself  once  again  pressed  to  the  Lion’s  side.
Damn  it  all,  why  did  Thomas  have  to  smell  so  good?  And
why  in  the  hell  did  his  body  have  to  feel  so  wonderful?  It
was  warm  and  hard  at  the  same  time  and  made  Chance
want to cuddle into it so he could get lost in the Lion’s spicy,
sweet  scent.  It  reminded  Chance  of  the  fancy  cookies  his
mother used to bring home from her trips into town.

“Let’s get you home,” Thomas urged.
“Okay, the others must be worried about me.”
“We haven’t had a chance to tell them yet. They were out

to a movie and just got home,” Thomas replied.

“Oh,” Chance replied a bit disappointed that nobody had

been worried about him.

Call him selfish, but was it too much to hope that there

was a little bit of angst on his account? His face must have
given away his feelings because Thomas leaned down and
whispered, “Don’t feel bad. I worried enough for all of
them.”

Chance’s Vindication

Okay, maybe Chance was hopeful, but he could have

sworn he felt the brush of Thomas’s lips against his ear. A
shiver of desire went through Chance as he replied, “Liar,
but thanks for trying to make me feel better.”

“Who said I was lying?”
Thomas started to guide Chance out of the infirmary.

Chance  followed  along  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  his
mind  spinning  from  everything  that’d  happened  that
evening.  And  here  he’d  thought  he  was  in  for  yet  another
boring night of isolation.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Chance mumbled.
“Sure.”
“I hate needles and blood.”
Thomas laughed. “Really? I would have never guessed.”
“Do you think the whole coalition knows I fainted?”

Chance glanced around, but nobody was laughing or
pointing in his direction. That really didn’t mean anything
though since nearly everybody was still at the wedding.

“I wouldn’t worry about that. With the way Dalton is

talking up your bravery, that will be mostly what the gossip
will be about.”

A heat came over Chance’s cheeks. “I wasn’t really that

brave. I just cowered under the table while Shane and Trevor
did all the real fighting.”

“You put your body between Dalton and harm. I don’t

know of very many others who would do that.”

It felt so damn good to be on the receiving end of

Thomas’s praise that Chance didn’t argue. Instead, he
allowed himself to enjoy the remaining moments he had in
the Lion’s arms.

Damn, what Chance wouldn’t give to be in Thomas’s

embrace on a permanent basis. But he may as well be
wishing for a gold plated leprechaun because there was no
way in hell a Lion would ever choose a Raven as his mate.

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All too soon they reached the apartment. Before Chance

had a chance to fish out his keys, the front door opened to
reveal a frantic Dulla.

Like Chance, she had the Raven trademark dark hair and

eyes, unlike him she wore the look well. Her skin had a
more milky appearance rather than a ghastly pale, plus her
innocence softened up the hard edges brought on by her
onyx gaze.

She reached out with shaky fingers and lightly touched

the bandage on Chance’s face. “What did they do to my
pretty baby?”

Chance flushed at her term of endearment. She just had to

go there in front of Thomas. “I’m okay. It’s just a few
scratches.”

She stepped aside and let them in. Xavier was there along

with his twin, Riley. They both rushed forward, both talking
so fast that Chance had trouble separating the words.

“We heard it was Ravens.”
“Did they try to hurt you because you weren’t gross as

shit like they are?”

“Did Shane rip them a new one?”
“Everybody is talking about how you protected Dalton.”
“Is it true that the mall is trashed?”
Laughing Chance held up a hand to stop them. Even

though  they’d  been  separated  most  of  their  lives,  the  two
short,  blond-haired  Eagle  twins  had  quickly  grown  close
again.  So  much  so,  that  they  were  rarely  apart.  Riley  lived
with  his  mate  in  the  Hawk  section  of  headquarters  and
Xavier  resided  at  the  apartment  with  his  own  mate,  Dulla
and Chance. That still didn’t hamper the Eagle brothers from
spending nearly every waking hour together. It was almost
as if they were in a desperate rush to make up for all the lost
years.

“Wow, even without the drugs I’d have trouble keeping

Chance’s Vindication

up with all those questions,” Chance told them.

He quickly told them what happened, downplaying his

role as Dalton’s protector. Quite frankly, Chance still didn’t
see why everybody was making such a big deal about it.
Once he finished, Thomas tilted his head toward the hallway
leading to the bedrooms. “Which one is yours?”

Oh boy, if Thomas only knew how many times Chance

had dreamed of being asked that question. Only for more
decadent purposes than the soldier had in mind.

“I can take him,” Xavier offered.
Thomas shook his head. “I already have him. Plus, Jacyn

gave me all the after-care instructions so I should probably
be the one who looks after Chance.”

Xavier cocked a brow. “I’m sure you can just pass along

the instructions to me.”

“That’s okay. I don’t mind. He’s my responsibility after

all.”

Riley let out a snort of laugher. “I’m sure that’s not the

only reason.”

Chance shot the Eagle a questioning look, but Riley had

all his attention focused on Thomas. Xavier shook his head
as he pointed down the hall. “Chance’s room is the last door
on the left.”

As Thomas led Chance in the right direction, Riley called,

“Make sure you guys keep it down. The walls here are really
thin. I’m already mentally scarred from listening to Xavier
and Ranger go at it. I don’t need any added trauma.”

“Remind me to kick his ass once I get better,” Chance

mumbled.

Not that he would ever go through with his threat. Not

only did he really like Riley, but the Eagle was mated to the
second in command of the Hawks. That was one guy that
Chance never wanted to get angry. While Colin may get all
soft and mushy with Riley, he could be scary when crossed.

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Thomas opened the door and led Chance over to the bed.

As he gingerly eased himself down on his back, Chance said
a silent prayer of thanks that he’d cleaned up the night
before. Not that he had much to make a mess. Before his
shopping trip with Dalton, Chance hadn’t even had enough
clothes to fill up all the drawers of his dresser.

He rolled to his side, trying to find a comfortable position.

He knew he should at least kick off his shoes, but the day
finally caught up to him and he could barely keep his eyes
open. He didn’t even have the energy to change out of his
ripped and bloodstained shirt.

The sound of running water came from his adjoined

bathroom moments before Thomas returned. The Lion sat
down on the edge of the bed and gently ran a warm, wet
washcloth over Chance’s neck.

“There’s still some blood that Jacyn missed when he

cleaned you up,” Thomas explained.

Chance nodded as he allowed his eyes to flutter shut.

Lulled into a near sleep, he kept them closed, even when he
felt  his  shoes  being  gently  tugged  off.  A  warm  sensation
pooled  in  his  chest  at  the  thoughtful  gesture  coming  from
Thomas.  It  made  Chance  feel  so  cared  for,  something
entirely new for him.

He knew better than to get used to it though. Come

morning  he  felt  sure  that  things  would be  back  to  the  way
they  were  before  and  Thomas  would  be  back  to  barely
tolerating  him.  At  the  moment,  however,  Chance  allowed
himself to bask in the comfort.

Thomas pulled a blanket over Chance, then sat back

down on the edge of the bed. Then Thomas did the most
startling thing of all, he began to lightly run his fingers
through Chance’s hair.

“Can I ask you something?” Thomas asked.
“Sure,” Chance replied. He still kept his eyes shut for fear

Chance’s Vindication

of breaking the mood. It felt so good to have Thomas
stroking his head that Chance never wanted it to end.

“Why wouldn’t you shift back at the infirmary?”
“Like I said, I’ve only done it one time before.”
“That was just an excuse and we both know it. While you

may fear the pain from shifting, I can’t help but feel that
you’re more terrified of needles.”

Chance tensed, realizing he’d been busted. He let out a

slow breath as he decided he had nothing to lose by
confessing the truth. “It wouldn’t have been the right thing
for me to do.”

“I don’t understand.”
“I saw that there were some injured soldiers there.”
“Yeah, so? That still doesn’t explain why you couldn’t

shift.”

“Some of them were hurt badly and I’m guessing Ravens

did it. So, the last thing they should have to see while they’re
recovering is another bird.”

Thomas stilled in his stroking. “So you allowed yourself

to stay in pain, just so they didn’t have to be
uncomfortable?”

Chance shrugged. “I’m sure the hurt I’m feeling from a

few scratches is nothing compared to what they’re going
through. Besides, it’s the least I can do to pay you guys back
for helping Xavier and Dulla.”

A tug on his shoulder urged him to turn over. Chance

obeyed, opening his eyes to gaze up at Thomas. His breath
caught in his throat as he saw the tender expression playing
in the man’s blue eyes.

“So, instead you braved a needle, even though it scared

you so much you fainted,” Thomas said.

“I didn’t faint. I just quickly fell asleep,” Chance

defended.

That excuse sounded so ludicrous, even to his own ears,

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that Chance laughed. Thomas smiled before he began to
stroke Chance’s hair again. A tension built up in the room as
Thomas studied Chance carefully. Chance squirmed, feeling
a bit self-conscious.

“What? Is it my hair? I know it’s a bit out there, but

Dalton thought it would be good for me to have a change.”

“No, it’s not that at all. Your hair looks great. I was just

thinking how beautiful you look when you laugh.”

Disappointment crashed into Chance, bringing him back

to Earth. He wondered how he’d foolishly allowed himself
to forget that he was different. A painful lump built up in his
throat. “Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. I know that I’m not beautiful. I’ll never be

because I look too much like them.”

And that was another reason why Chance had refused to

shift. For while he hadn’t wanted the others to see him in his
Raven  side,  he  was  terrified  of  Thomas  seeing  him  in  his
bird form. In the short time that he’d been under the Lion’s
protection,  Chance  had  stupidly  allowed  himself  to  fall  for
the  guy.  Now  Thomas’s  opinion  mattered  so  much  to
Chance  that  if  he  were  to  see  disgust  in  the  man’s  face  it
would destroy him.

Chance tried to turn away, put Thomas tightened his grip

and refused to allow him even that small bit of dignity.

“I’m not lying to you,” Thomas growled. “When you

smile, I forget that you’re a Raven and that we’re supposed
to be enemies. All I can think about is how sweet you look
and that scares the hell out of me.”

“Now, I know you’re bullshitting me. Nothing scares

you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. When I found out that you’d

been attacked and that somebody was hurt, I was terrified
that I’d never get to see you again.”

Chance’s Vindication

Chance blinked in shock, his heart hammering in his

chest. “I thought you hated me.”

“God knows I should. Every time I look at Colby and

think about how I feel about you, I feel like I’m betraying
him. Which is stupid since you had nothing to do with
putting him in that cell.”

“It’s understandable. I hate the Ravens for what they’ve

done and I’m one of them.”

“It still doesn’t make my feelings right.”
Chance swallowed hard before forcing himself to ask,

“Do you want me to put in a request with Mitchell for a new
guardian? If it’s too hard for you to be around me, I’ll
understand.”

Thomas shook his head, his expression somehow

managing to grow tenderer. “See, there you go again,
putting somebody else’s needs before your own. I’ll admit I
thought about going to Mitchell and asking him for a new
assignment.”

Damn, it hurt to hear that. So much so that it felt like a

punch to the gut. Chance still schooled his features to hide
his feelings. “You did?”

“Yes, and then I realized that I couldn’t go through with

it. Just the thought of a day without you in it made me
depressed.”

Some of the hurt left, but it was only to be replaced with

confusion. “Where does that leave us then?”

Thomas leaned down and feathered his lips over

Chance’s mouth. The kiss was so brief—so tender, that it
almost wasn’t there. It still sent a spiral of desire down
Chance’s spine that was so strong, his toes curled.

“It leaves us here,” Thomas replied.
It wasn’t much of an answer, but Chance would take it for

the moment. He nodded, closing his eyes, when Thomas
started to stroke his hair again. Right before he drifted off to

Chance’s Vindication

Chapter Six

homas made sure to get back to Chance early the next
day. While Xavier had assured him that they could take

care of their brother just fine, Thomas felt the need to watch
over the Raven himself.

When Dulla answered the door, she didn’t look too

surprised to see him. She just pointed to the bedroom door
before going back to the television. It was a well-known fact
that she was obsessed with Yogi Bear, so it didn’t shock
Thomas that the cartoon bear was dancing across the screen.

Xavier and Riley were sitting at the kitchen table, both of

them eating cereal. Out of politeness, Thomas stopped to say
hello to them.

“How did he do after I left?” Thomas asked.
Riley rolled his eyes. “It was tragic. The wounds began to

fester and puss over.”

“Gangrene set in and we had to amputate his head,”

Xavier added in a deadpan voice.

Thomas pointed a finger at Riley. “You’re a bad influence

on your twin. He never used to be this big of a smartass until
he came to live here.”

“I’m innocent,” Riley protested, holding his hands up and

spreading his fingers out.

“Then why in the hell did you paint polka-dots on

Shane’s favorite gun?”

Riley tilted his head to the side as he pretended to ponder

the question. “I think it’s my new med making me be bad.”

Stephani Hecht

Not too long ago, Riley had been diagnosed with a shifter

form of bi-polar disorder. Since his was the first case that the
coalition doctor had to deal with, sometimes the meds were
trial and error. Things had been better since a Fox shifter
who specialized in shifter mental disorders had joined the
coalition, but there were still times when Riley’s moods were
unstable.

That didn’t explain away the gun makeover though.

Thomas knew that meds or not, Riley could still be a brat
and he loved to tweak other shifters. Shane just happened to
be his latest victim.

“I don’t know what Shane is complaining about. I made

sure not to use girly colors. I think the gun looked great with
blue and green dots. I’m certain he could still kill and
terrorize just as efficiently as before,” Riley said, a hint of a
smile playing on his lips.

“You do realize that you are one of the very few who get

away with touching his gun and living to talk about it,”
Thomas pointed out.

Riley smirked. “Really? Here I thought that Trevor was

the only one who could play with Shane’s gun.”

Xavier burst out laughing as he bumped fists with Riley.

Thomas just shook his head, wondering if they were always
this immature. Maybe it was just all the sugar from the
cereal making them act so dorky.

“Did you make sure Chance took his pain pill at three this

morning?” Thomas pressed.

Xavier nodded. “Yes, and I had him drink some milk, too,

so he had something in his stomach.”

“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for? Although we may not be

related by blood, he’s still my brother. It’s my job to take
care of him.” Xavier narrowed his eyes. “I’m just wondering
why you’re all of a sudden so concerned about him?”

Chance’s Vindication

Yeah, like Thomas was going to admit to having feelings

for Chance. No way in hell, especially to those two.
Knowing the twins, they’d yap and then the news would be
known by the whole coalition by lunchtime.

“I’m his guardian, it’s my job to worry about his

wellbeing,” Thomas reasoned.

Riley snorted. “Yeah, sure. Because all guardians are

always that protective of their charges.”

“I don’t know. From what I heard, Colin used to worry

about you all the time when he was your guardian,” Xavier
said.

Thomas let out a low growl, already knowing what path

the twins were taking with their overly, bright, sarcastic
banter.

“True, but then Colin turned out to be my mate.” Riley let

out a mock gasp as he covered his mouth with one hand.
“You don’t think that Thomas has romantic feelings for our
Chance, do you?”

“Why that would just be shocking. Considering the way

Thomas is such a serious grouch all the time,” Xavier replied
in a like tone.

“Leave it, both of you,” Thomas snapped.
He turned and walked away. He’d made it exactly three

steps before Xavier called, “By the way, you break his heart
and I’ll skin you alive and wear your mane for Halloween.”

Shocked by such a violent image, Thomas looked over his

shoulder at Xavier. The Eagle just gave him a huge, innocent
grin in return.

“He means it,” Dulla added, never taking her gaze off the

TV. “You better not hurt Chance or else we’ll both kick your
ass.”

Riley raised his hand as he began to bounce up and down,

excitedly, “Me, too. Me, too. I want to be in on this. I’ve
always wanted to kick somebody’s can.”

Stephani Hecht

Thomas gaped at them. “Why do I get the feeling that this

family never has a dull moment? Is it ever quiet here?”

“Yes, we all keep it down when Supernatural is on,” Riley

said.

“Only because we don’t want to miss one word that the

Winchester boys say. I may be happily mated, but that still
doesn’t mean I don’t like looking at that eye candy,” Xavier
added.

“Plus, we always look to see if we recognize any of the

paranormal  creatures.”  Riley gave  a  sad  sigh.  “So  far  there
has  not  been  one  familiar  face.  So  much  for  authenticity,
they  keep  just  using  humans  in  makeup.  The  other  week
they had a zombie episode and there wasn’t one real shuffler
in the mix.”

Xavier blinked a few times. “Wait? There’s really such a

thing as zombies?”

Since his head already felt ready to explode, Thomas left

before  he  had  to  listen  to  any  more  of  their  outlandish
conversation.  Damn,  no  wonder  Chance  was  so  quiet.  He
probably  gave  up  talking  because  he  could  never  get  in  a
word with those two chattering it up.

He went to Chance’s door and lightly knocked before

letting himself in. The room was dark, but due to his
enhanced shifter vision, Thomas could still make out every
detail of the room.

Last night he’d been struck by how plain and impersonal

the space was. Plus, he noticed that it was the smallest
bedroom, too. Which was yet another example of how
Chance always put his siblings before himself.

Before he’d taken over Chance’s care, Thomas had been

briefed  on  the  Raven’s  history.  So  he  knew  the  lengths
Chance  had  gone  to  in  order  to  support  Dulla  and  Xavier
after their parents had died.

First Chance had done some lackey work for some lower

Chance’s Vindication

level Raven thugs. But when the birds discovered that
Chance didn’t have the stomach for their dirty work, they’d
beaten him and turned him away.

After that, Chance had turned to hustling in order to

bring in money. Thank God, that hadn’t lasted long. The
felines rescued Chance and his siblings not long after and
he’d been living with the coalition ever since.

A spark of anger went through Thomas as he thought

about the abuse Chance suffered at the hands of the Ravens.
If he ever got his hands on the bastards who’d beaten
Chance, they’d be lucky to walk away in one piece.

Chance must have sensed Thomas’s presence. He turned

around and blinked open his eyes. “What are you doing here
so early?”

Thomas went over and sat on the edge of the bed. His

hands itched to reach out and smooth down Chance’s sleep-
tousled hair, but Thomas refrained himself.

“I told you I’d be back, remember?” Thomas said.
Thomas’s gaze drank in Chance, savoring every inch of

the shifter’s tight body. Even though he still wore the
bandage on his face and that blood stained shirt, he’d never
looked sweeter. His lips were pursed in confusion, almost as
if begging for a kiss.

“Sure, I remember. I just didn’t think you’d be here at the

butt-crack of dawn.” Chance sat up, a wince of pain crossing
his face.

“You should take another pain pill,” Thomas said.
Chance shook his head. “I can’t stand the way they make

me feel.”

“Jacyn said you needed them.”
“I’ll be fine. Even though I didn’t shift, I’ll still heal

quickly enough. It’s not like I’m human or anything.”

“Are you sure?” It didn’t sit well with Thomas, seeing

Chance suffer at all. Chance gave him a lopsided smile.

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“I’m positive. What I really want is a shower. I need to get

out of this gross shirt and scrub the last of the blood from
my body.”

“Okay, but only if you let me help you.”
Chance froze, his brow furrowing. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to shower without some

help.”

“I’m an adult. I’m perfectly capable of scrubbing my own

ass.”

“You have passed out twice in the past twenty-four

hours. The last thing you need is to pull a face-plant in the
shower because you’re too stubborn to ask for help.”

“I only passed out once. The other time was just a near

faint so it shouldn’t count,” Chance argued.

“That still doesn’t mean that I’m going to let you take a

shower without some help. Now you can either let me do it
or I can call in Xavier. Choice is yours.”

Chance nibbled on his bottom lip. “Fine, you can help me

out, but only because I don’t want Ranger to get pissed at
me. I’ve seen how protective mates can be of each other and
I don’t want him to blow a gasket if he finds out Xavier saw
me naked.”

The image of a nude, wet Chance made Thomas want to

groan in desire. Hell, he wanted to do more than that. It was
taking every bit of his self-control not to pin Chance down to
the mattress and fuck him stupid.

“Here, let me help you get out of bed,” Thomas offered.
Maybe if they got away from the mattress, Thomas

wouldn’t be so tempted. Riiiiiiiiight…and maybe pigs would
fly, hell would freeze up, then Republicans and Democrats
would get along.

Looping a hand under Chance’s arm, Thomas helped him

stand. Aside from a small hiss, Chance didn’t give any
indication he was in pain. Thomas still asked, “How are you

Chance’s Vindication

feeling?”

“Okay, it burns a bit, but not nearly as bad as last night.”
Chance shuffled to the bathroom, Thomas trailing closely

behind. Once they reached the door, Chance paused, a blush
coloring his cheeks. “Can you give me a second of privacy? I
need to go to the bathroom.”

“Sure, I’ll grab you some fresh clothes while you’re taking

care of that.”

“Thanks.”
“Is there anything in particular you want to wear?”
Chance pointed to a huge pile of shopping bags.

“Anything from there will be okay.”

Thomas turned to the clothes and began to rifle through

the bags, picking out some sleep pants that  had pictures of
the  baby  from  Family  Guy  all  over  them.  He  paired  them
with a red t-shirt. As he dug out a pair of black underwear,
Thomas couldn’t hold back the thought  of how nice they’d
look filled out with Chance’s perfectly, rounded ass.

The door to the bathroom opened, ripping Thomas from

his carnal musings. He quickly tucked the underwear into
the pile of clothes, then looked up at Chance. “Are you
ready?”

Chance nipped his bottom lip again. “Are you sure you

don’t want me to just do it by myself?”

Oh, that comment opened the door to so many interesting

answers and possibilities. Thomas decided to leave them
alone—for now. He walked into the bathroom and watched
as Chance peeled the bandage away from his face.

Given his advance shifter healing, the wounds looked a

lot better than before. They still were red and puffy, the
black stitches standing out starkly. Chance ran his fingers
over them.

“Do you think they’ll scar?” Chance asked, still studying

himself in the mirror.

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“Probably not. It takes a lot to make a shifter scar.”
“Good. Not to sound vain or anything. I just didn’t want

to give something else for the kids to stare at.”

Thomas recalled the time, not so long ago, when the

coalition  school  took  a  field  trip  to  headquarters.  The
children  had  either  looked  at  Chance  with  horror  or
fascination.  While  he’d  claimed  it  hadn’t  bothered  him,
Thomas  could  tell  it  hurt  to  be  gawked  at  like  a  sideshow
attraction.

“Next time you should do a cartwheel or something.

Really entertain them,” Thomas teased.

Chance laughed. “That would be really interesting. I’d

probably fall on my head or break a bone. I’ve never been
very good at tumbling.”

Thomas nearly swallowed his tongue when Chance took

off his shirt. While he’d seen the Raven’s bare chest the night
before, Thomas really hadn’t had the time to admire it and
he took the current opportunity to look his fill.

Though thin, Chance was far from scrawny. His creamy

skin  boasted  of  dips  and  ridges  in  just  the  right  places.
Thomas ran his tongue  over his lips as he fantasized about
how  wonderful  it  would  be  to  lick  every  inch  of  that  chest
and abdomen.

A bandage marked his right side. Chance carefully peeled

that one away, too. His lips pressed together in a show of
pain. These wounds seemed to be much worse than the ones
on his face. The skin surrounding them was bright red and
angry looking.

Thomas frowned, concerned. While shifters were usually

immune to infections, one could never be too safe with
wounds inflicted by Raven claws. There was no telling what
kind of crap they rolled around in.

“Maybe we should go back to the infirmary?” Thomas

suggested.

Chance’s Vindication

“What for?”
“Those scratches on your side look pretty nasty.”
Chance glanced at it, his face maddeningly impassive.

“Nah, they’ll be fine.”

Then Chance undid his jeans and slid them down and all

thoughts of arguing fled Thomas’s brain. All he could focus
on was how he’d been right when he’d thought that Chance
would fill out a pair of underwear nicely.

Unfortunately, Chance completely misunderstood why

Thomas was staring. Running a hand down his bare chest,
Chance mumbled, “I know I look gross.”

“The last thing I would ever call you is gross.”
“It’s okay, it wouldn’t be the first time. One time there

was this john…eh, guy who said I reminded him of a
Marilyn Manson wannabe fan boy.”

Thomas walked up and placed a chaste kiss on Chance’s

temple. “You’re sheer perfection and anybody who can’t see
that is an idiot.” Me included. Why am I letting my prejudices

get in the way of what we can have?

For the first time ever, Chance actually seemed to believe

Thomas’s compliment. A crooked smile came over the
younger shifter’s face, making him look so carefree that it
tugged at Thomas’s heart.

“Thanks, I kind of needed to hear that,” Chance said.
He then stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain

shut. It wasn’t until Chance’s arm snaked out and dropped
his underwear on the tile that Thomas realized he’d missed a
perfect chance to see the Raven’s sweet ass in all its bare
glory.

Giving a tiny smile of his own, Thomas leaned against the

counter and waited. He had all the time in the world to see
Chance naked. After all, wasn’t it his job to watch over the
Raven? And nobody had ever accused Thomas of being
derelict in his duties.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Seven

hance stood under the spray of water, trying to get his
frigging thoughts in order. His brain was full of a million

questions and he didn’t know how to go about answering
even one of them.

Did Thomas like him? Or was he just playing mind games

on the sappy Raven invader that nobody really liked? Could
Thomas have really meant it when he said Chance was sheer
perfection? If so, would he continue to think that after he
found out some of the things Chance had been forced to do
for the sake of his family’s survival?

He turned, inadvertently making the stream of water

pound onto his wounded side. A yelp of pain slipped from
his lips before he could hold it in.

“Are you okay?” Thomas called.
Chance ran his fingers over the wounds, wincing as he

noted how hot the skin felt. “Maybe it wouldn’t be such a
bad idea to call Jacyn after all.”

“I’ll do it as soon as we’re done here.”
“Thanks.”
Chance hurried and washed up, smiling when he noted

that  Dulla  had  supplied  him  with  her  favorite  strawberry
shampoo.  She  may  not  be  able  to  help  out  in  certain  areas
because of her disability, but she still managed to find small
ways to show that she cared.

He turned off the water and dried off, wrapping the thick,

white towel around his waist. As he opened the curtain, he

Chance’s Vindication

still felt a little bit self-conscious about his near nudity.
Thomas may have said that Chance looked good, but it was
still hard to be one hundred percent confident after so many
others had thrown disparaging comments his way.

Thomas was leaning against the sink, looking sexy as hell.

He  wore  the  all  black  uniform  of  cargo  pants  and  a  long
sleeved  shirt,  the  fabric  molding  to  the  man’s  hard  body
perfectly.  His  blond  hair  looked  so  soft  and  inviting  that
Chance’s fingers tingled with the need to caress it. Since he
didn’t  know  if  that  kind  of  touch  would  be  accepted,
however, he just nervously toyed with the edge of his towel.

“Come here,” Thomas commanded with a crook of his

finger.

Even before Chance’s brain could fully register the words,

his feet were moving forward. He stopped about a foot away
from Thomas. That didn’t satisfy the man though, he let out
a sigh before he hooked his fingers in the top of the towel
and pulled Chance closer.

Thomas didn’t say anything, he just stared down at

Chance. The Lion’s eyes were so soft…so understanding…so
caring, that Chance found himself wanting to pour his heart
out.

“I hate that I was born a Raven,” he said, his voice a mere

whisper. “Even as a kid, I wanted to be normal, instead of
something that was despised by everybody.”

Thomas trailed the back of his knuckles against Chance’s

jaw, his touch leaving behind a velvet heat. “But then you
wouldn’t be my Chance.”

My Chance. Oh, what Chance would give for that to truly

be the case. The knowledge that they’d never truly be a
mated pair hurt ten times more than the wounds to his side,
yet there was no denying the truth. Ravens and felines
would never, could never fall in love.

Of course, Chance’s heart had other ideas. For at that

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moment, he realized just how important Thomas was to him.
He also knew it would tear him to pieces when the Lion
finally woke up and walked away forever.

“If I was a feline, like you, there would be no question

about what we’d be doing right now,” Chance said, nodding
toward the bed.

When Thomas just stared at him and didn’t respond,

Chance’s throat grew tight. He swallowed hard, then
continued, “Not that I blame you. I heard what they did to
your brother.”

“They didn’t just do it to my brother. Countless shifters

suffered  when  the  Ravens  dumped  that  poison  into  the
water  system.  And  for  what?  So  they  could  hurt  us  yet
again.  Wasn’t  it  enough  that  they  ripped  us  apart  for  over
twenty years?”

“I’m so sorry for all your suffering. I would give my life

to change things for you.” Chance lowered his gaze. Thomas
tucked  his  fingers  under  Chance’s  chin  and  forced  him  to
look  back  up.  Chance  shivered  when  he  saw  the  raw
emotion playing in the man’s eyes.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I just wish there was something I could do to make all

that hurt you went through go away.”

“I wasn’t the only one who lost things due to the Ravens.

You  even  had  your  home  taken  away.  While  they  may  not
have been the ones who actually murdered your parents, if it
hadn’t  been  for  them  hiding  out  in  isolation,  then  your
family  would  have  never  been  so  vulnerable,”  Thomas
feathered the pad of his thumb over Chance’s bottom lip.

“Our home wasn’t much to look at anyway. We lived on

the bare essentials. The only thing I wished I’d been able to
grab before we ran was Dulla’s bear.”

“Her what?”
“She had this stuffed Yogi doll that she used to drag

Chance’s Vindication

everywhere. When we were attacked, she wanted to go back
for it, but I didn’t let her because it wasn’t safe. I still feel bad
about that.”

Thomas ran his thumb along Chance’s lip again. “You

shouldn’t feel guilty about that. You managed to get them
out alive. I’m sure they’re both grateful for that.”

“But I—”
Chance’s argument was cut off with a crushing kiss, that

stole both his words and breath away. Heck, it did more
than that, it made Chance burn from the inside out and left
him a whimpering mass of desire.

Whereas the one from the night before had been tender

and brief, this kiss was hot, commanding and all-consuming.
Then Thomas cupped the back of Chance’s head and leaned
him back so their bodies pressed together and things got
even better.

Chance let out a moan that soon became garbled when a

tongue was thrust inside his mouth. He didn’t even hesitate
a second, sucking the offering deeper inside. Thomas didn’t
seem to mind Chance’s aggression, quite the opposite. He let
out a growl and his free hand came around to cup Chance’s
ass.

A flush of embarrassment crept through his passion as

Chance realized he was getting hard and there would be no
hiding it since he only wore that towel. A towel that
suddenly seemed way too thin.

He tried to move his cock away from Thomas’s body. A

task  that  was  next  to  impossible,  given  the  tight  hold
Thomas  had  on  him.  After  putting  up  with  Chance’s
wiggling  for  a  moment,  Thomas  let  out  a  dark,  seductive
laugh.

“Are you trying to hide something from me?”
“Maybe?” Chance ventured.
Thomas’s hand left Chance’s ass, only to find its way to

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the  top  of  the  towel.  With  one  quick  flick  of  the  wrist,
Thomas  took  the  towel  off  and  tossed  it  to  the  side.  Then
Thomas  wrapped  his  strong  fingers  around  Chance’s  cock
and  began  stroking  before  Chance  could  even  begin  to feel
self-conscious about his nudity.

“Daaaaaaamn,” Chance drawled out, his head falling

back.

“I kind of thought you’d like that,” Thomas joked.
“Like? If I could, I’d give you a damn medal.”
Thomas leaned in and began to nibble a path down the

side of Chance’s throat. “Then you’re really going to be
thrilled with what I have planned next.”

Chance could only murmur in response, his mind too

occupied on his cock and the magic Thomas’s fingers were
working. He seemed to know exactly when to stroke lightly
and when to give a tight squeeze. Chance bit his bottom lip
as he felt himself edging his way to an orgasm.

Thomas moved his hand, making Chance cry out in

protest. “Why did you stop?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been waiting to touch and taste you for

so long that I’m not going to stop anytime soon. I’m just
moving on to another activity.”

Relief flooded through Chance, followed by a heavy dose

of curiosity. “Really? What other kind of things do you have
planned?”

By way of answer, Thomas grabbed Chance by the

shoulders and spun them both around until Chance found
his back pressed against the cool wall. Chance let out a gasp
of surprise. The whole situation—him being naked while
Thomas remained dressed, the way Thomas kept letting out
little growls between kisses, the fact that Thomas had taken
complete control of the situation—it all was the biggest turn-
on in Chance’s life. He never wanted it to end either.

Thomas began to work his way down Chance’s neck

Chance’s Vindication

again, punctuating each word with a kiss. “Very. Very.
Interesting. Things.”

“Oh, wow,” Chance breathed out, not caring how dorky

he sounded.

A loud moan was ripped from Chance’s throat as Thomas

continued to suck, kiss and bite his way down. He stopped
long enough to pay special attention to Chance’s nipples, his
gifted tongue shooting sparks of pleasure through Chance’s
body. When Thomas reached the scratch marks, he carefully
kissed each one in a move so tender it threatened to choke
Chance up.

When Thomas dropped to his knees, it took Chance a few

moments to catch up and realize what exactly was about to
happen. He even sucked in a breath and held it, afraid that
he’d break the mood and lose the very special treat he was
about to receive.

Thomas wrapped his fingers around Chance’s cock, then

carefully swirled his tongue over the head. That finally made
Chance breathe before he let out a yelp of shock.

“I never knew,” he panted, his fingers going down to

thread in Thomas’s hair.

Thomas glanced up from under his lashes, his eyes almost

black with passion. “Knew what?”

“That it felt this good to be sucked off. Before, I was

always the one on my knees,” Chance confessed, his cheeks
burning with shame.

He wondered how Thomas would take that news. Would

he think Chance was sleazy or something? Worry made
Chance’s heart beat hard as he wondered if he’d gone and
blown things just as he was finally getting what he dreamed
about for so long.

Thomas gave that sexy-as-hell smile of his as he slowly

licked a drop of pre-cum from the tip of Chance’s dick.
“Good, I like knowing that I’m the only one who’s ever

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tasted this. Now relax and enjoy this, will ya?”

“Okay, but only because you insist,” Chance teased as he

laid his back against the wall.

“Good, boy,” Thomas praised before he parted his lips

and slowly sucked Chance in.

Chance let out a long groan as a wet heat surrounded his

erection. Curling his fingers even deeper into Thomas’s soft
hair,  Chance  allowed  himself  to  get  lost  in  the  sensation
created  by  Thomas’s  mouth.  At  the  same  time,  he  tried
desperately  to  hold  onto  some  shred  of  control  in  order  to
drag out the encounter as long as possible.

It was hard though. The sensations racing through

Chance which were so new and wonderful, combined with
the fact that Thomas was actually touching him, made it so
Chance was already on the edge. It didn’t take long for him
lose his battle for restraint.

He started to thrust his hips back and forth, making sure

not to go too deep and gag Thomas. Chance used to hate it
when his johns had abused him that way. He could never do
the same to the tender shifter kneeling before him.

Then Thomas relaxed his throat and took Chance in so

deep that his nose bumped against Chance’s pelvic bone.
That last act finally threw Chance over the edge. He tried to
call out a warning but all that came out was gibberish.

Arching his back, Chance came, his cock emptying into

Thomas’s mouth. Thomas jerked, but seemed to recover
quickly enough, his throat working as he swallowed
Chance’s semen.

Chance panted, a buzz working over his body as the last

waves of pleasure dissipated. He kept his eyes closed,
savoring the sensation of Thomas licking his now softening
shaft clean.

“That was…oh, boy,” Chance finally managed to

stammer out.

Chance’s Vindication

Thomas chuckled before standing and giving Chance a

slow, lazy kiss. Chance returned it, noting the tang from his
own spunk still lingering in Thomas’s mouth. It should have
been gross, but in a weird way it was a turn on.

Once they broke apart, Chance pressed their foreheads

together. “What about you?”

“We can worry about that later. I just want today to be

about you.”

Chance didn’t even bother to try to hide his confusion.

“Why?”

“Because it’s about time somebody really showed you

how special you are.”

For a moment Chance wanted to protest, then he realized

that it would be nice to be pampered for once. Since Thomas
seemed so willing to do just that, why should Chance deny
him the pleasure?”

“I think I’d really like that,” Chance admitted, somewhat

shyly.

That earned him another kiss.
“Let’s start by getting you dressed and then back into

bed,” Thomas suggested.

Chance waggled his brows. “Bed? I like the way you

think.”

“I meant so you can rest and get better. I’ll bring you

breakfast and call and see if Jacyn will come here to check
over those scratch wounds.”

“Oh,” Chance said, trying hard to hide his

disappointment.

A day alone in his room sounded more like a punishment.

Thomas reached out and tweaked Chance’s nose. “Lose the
long face. I’m going to stay with you the entire day. We can
watch a bunch of bad movies and snuggle.”

Chance laughed. “Did you actually just suggest that we

snuggle?”

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“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, I just never imagined that a big, bad Lion

shifter would want to do that.”

Thomas gave his temple a kiss. “This Lion shifter does if

he gets to share said bed with a certain sexy Raven.”

“Okay, since you put it that way.”
They went back into the bedroom and Thomas helped

Chance get dressed, then into bed. Tucking him in, Thomas
handed him the remote. “Find something you like and I’ll be
right back with some breakfast.”

“Just make sure you don’t let Xavier cook it. He loves to

over-salt everything. Not even a deer would lick some of his
food.”

Thomas laughed. “I’ll make it myself.”
Once Thomas left, Chance turned on a documentary he’d

recorded  weeks  ago,  but  never  got  a  chance  to  watch.  He
was  halfway  through  it  by  the  time  Thomas  came  back  in.
He had a tray in his hands that had enough food on it to feed
the  entire  coalition  twice  over.  He  sat  it  down  on  Chance’s
lap.

“Jacyn said he’d be here in a few minutes,” Thomas

announced.

“Was he pissed about having to come here instead of the

infirmary?” Chance’s stomach rumbled as the aroma of
freshly cooked eggs and sausages hit him.

“No, he assured me it wasn’t a problem at all.” Thomas

held a forkful of eggs up to Chance’s lips. “Here, now eat.”

“I can feed myself,” Chance protested, feeling a bit

foolish.

“It’s your day to be pampered, remember?”
Chance made a big show of rolling his eyes, but he parted

his lips and let Thomas put the bite into his mouth. As the
wonderful flavor exploded over his taste buds, Chance
moaned in appreciation.

Chance’s Vindication

“I never knew you were such a great cook.”
“My mother taught me. After she died, I kept up the

tradition of making her special recipes. It’s my way of
remembering her.”

Chance’s heart sank at the pain in Thomas’s voice. He

knew better than anybody what it felt like to lose one’s
parents. “My own mother was a terrible cook.”

“Really?”
“Yeah.” Chance gave a sad smile. “I would give anything

to eat her dried out roast and overcooked carrots though.”

“She would be proud of how you took care of Dulla and

Xavier.”

The familiar pangs of regret hit him. Chance looked

down, too ashamed to meet Thomas’s gaze. “I don’t think
so. I’ve had to do some things she wouldn’t have approved
of.”

“You did what you had to in order to make sure that

what was left of your family could survive.”

Chance shook his head. “I lowered myself for just a few

bucks. You have no idea of some of the things I’ve done.”

“If you’re talking about how you had to hustle, then yeah,

I do. I’ve always known.”

Letting out a gasp, Chance whipped his head up to look

at Thomas. “How?”

“When Shane tracked down your location, some of his

contacts told him about how you had to first work for some
Raven criminals, then when they turned against you, that
you were forced to work the streets.”

“And you don’t think any less of me for that?” Chance

asked in a small voice.

Thomas reached out and gently cupped Chance’s

uninjured cheek. “No, it just shows me how caring you are. I
know you did it for Dulla and Xavier.”

“Please don’t tell them. It would kill Xavier if he knew

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what I did to support him. He has that whole martyr thing
going.”

“I think that runs in your family.”
Chance allowed himself a small grin. “You may have a

point there.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as Thomas continued

to feed Chance. After several moments, Chance finally held
his hand up. “I can’t eat another bite.”

“Are you sure? You didn’t eat half of what I made you,”

Thomas pressed.

“I don’t eat as much as a Lion shifter. I promise, I’m

stuffed.”

Thomas reluctantly set the tray to the side right before

there was a knock on the door. Jacyn poked his head in, a
bright smile on his face, despite the relatively early hour.

“How are you doing?” Jacyn asked as he came all the way

into the room.

He wore dark scrubs and had a large duffle style medical

bag slung over his shoulder. He dropped it on the bed and
opened it up, taking out various pieces of medical
equipment.

“Thomas wanted me to have the scratches on my side

looked at,” Chance said, lifting up his shirt.

Jacyn wrinkled his nose and let out a low hiss of

displeasure. “Wow, it looks like you have a nasty infection
going on there.”

“How can that be? I thought only humans get that,”

Chance asked.

“Usually that’s true, but there’ve been a few cases of

Raven scratches getting infections.”

“Dirty, gross, little bastards,” Chance muttered.
Jacyn cocked a brow. “And you know this from watching

them or something?”

Chance shrugged. “I don’t remember much from when I

Chance’s Vindication

still  lived  with  them,  but  I  do  recall  some  of  their  more
disgusting  rituals.  One  of  them  was  that  they  liked  to  let
their  food  ripen  before  eating  it.  They  also  liked  to  roll
around and play with their kills.”

“No offense, but that’s just sick,” Jacyn breathed.
“Don’t worry, none taken. I’m just glad my parents

weren’t like that and they took us away before we saw too
much.”

Chance realized just how much he had to be thankful for.

If  not  for  his  mother  and  father  daring  to  be  different,  he
could  have  ended  up  like  those  creeps  from  the  previous
night.  He  shuddered  at  the  thought.  Crap,  he  didn’t  even
look  good  in  black  leather  and  he  could  have  been  stuck
wearing it all the time.

Jacyn took a culture from the scratch marks before

applying a fresh bandage. He then pulled a tiny IV bag from
his kit and gave Chance a sympathetic look. “I hate to be a
meanie, but I’m going to have to poke you.”

Chance recoiled. “With a needle?”
“I would use a cattle prod, but that’s frowned upon, even

in shifter medical circles.”

“Why do you have to put a needle in me?”
“Because IV antibiotics will be the easiest and quickest

way to knock out this infection. I promise, I’ll use the littlest
needle possible.”

Chance gulped as he eyed up the IV like it was a snake. “I

really, really hate needles.”

Jacyn sighed. “Okay, then just shift and the wounds will

heal on their own.”

“No, not happening.”
“Then you’re stuck with a needle.”
Dear God…a needle or shifting? How in the hell was he

supposed to pick between those two horrible options.
Finally, Chance gave a huff of resignation and held out an

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arm. “Fine, I’ll take the damn IV. Just make sure you get it in
the vein on the first shot. I can scream like a girl and I’m not
too embarrassed to give you a display of that talent.”

“Oh, stop your whining.” Jacyn reached into his magical

bag and pulled out a colorful bandage. “If you’re a good
boy, I’ll give you a Sponge Bob Band Aid. I may even let you
pick out a sucker.”

Chance gave Jacyn one last dirty look before burying his

face into Thomas’s chest. If he was going to get punctured, at
least he could take some comfort in Thomas’s embrace.
Maybe…just maybe then Chance wouldn’t embarrass
himself by passing out. There was a first time for everything,
wasn’t there?

Chance’s Vindication

Chapter Eight

hance woke up and immediately knew something was
wrong when he didn’t feel the warm comfort of Thomas’s

arms  surrounding  him.  They’d  spend  the  past  couple  of
days and nights together, hanging out and getting to know
each  other  a  lot  better.  For  him  to  suddenly  be  absent
without  telling  Chance  where  he  was  going  was  both
troubling and aggravating.

While they’d yet to fully make love, they’d spent plenty of

time making out and giving each other hand and blow jobs.
Thomas hadn’t exactly gone so far as to claim Chance or
even declare that he wanted a serious relationship. Chance
still hadn’t expected a cold brush-off either.

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, his gaze

searching the empty room. Almost as if he expected Thomas
to spring out from the shadows with a yell of Surprise! or
something.

Grabbing some clothes, Chance pulled them on and went

to the kitchen in hopes of finding his wayward Lion. When
he only encountered Riley and Xavier, a sense of profound
disappointment crashed in on him.

Damn it, since when had he been so dependent on

Thomas and his presence? Chance always prided himself on
being the one who took care of others and having them be
dependent on him. To find himself in the reverse situation
was upsetting.

The twins both seemed to be engrossed in buttering a

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piece of toast so it took them a few moments to notice
Chance’s presence.

Xavier smiled at him. “You look like you lost something.”
Xavier always could read Chance’s emotions. Sometimes

it felt as if the brat was Chance’s very own living, breathing
mood ring. Only Xavier didn’t tarnish his finger and was ten
times more annoying.

“Have you seen Thomas anywhere?” Chance asked.
“Yeah, he said he had to go do something and that he’d

be back later,” Xavier replied, returning his attention to the
toast.

“He didn’t say where he was going?”
“No, he just made me promise to make sure you took it

easy. He also left his cell phone number in case you needed
to reach him.”

“Oh,” was all Chance could say.
In truth, he didn’t know how to feel. While it sucked that

Thomas had taken off without a word to Chance, at least
he’d given instructions to Xavier. So that had to mean
something…right?

Chance was torn from those thoughts as the brothers

continued to study the piece of bread. “What in the hell is
going on? Are you having trouble buttering that thing?”

Riley gave him a horrified look. “Butter? As if! It’s Nutella

or nothing at all.”

“Ooookay…that still doesn’t explain why you’re staring

at a piece of whole wheat.”

“Riley thinks he saw a spider slugging through the

Nutella.”

“It was huge, hairy and gross,” Riley added.
Chance blinked. “A spider? Are you sure?”
Riley nodded. “Yes. Did I mention it was hairy?”
“Yeah, that may have already come up.”
Xavier set down the toast and shook his head. “I’m sorry,

Chance’s Vindication

Riley, but I don’t see it.”

“The sneaky bastard must have slunk off,” Riley declared,

giving the plate a narrow-eyed glare.

Chance and Xavier exchanged confused looks.
“So, what are your plans for the day?” Chance asked.
“Riley asked me to go to the Hawk side of the building

and help him go through some archives. You want to come
along and help?”

“Uh…no.”
The only ones who hated him more than the felines were

Hawks. They were nearly extinct thanks to Ravens so the
last thing they wanted was to have a member of that breed
living amongst them. So to say that they didn’t give Chance
a warm welcoming would have been an understatement.

“What are you going to do? Just hang out here all day?”

Xavier demanded.

Riley laughed. “He’s probably going to get caught up on

his rest. With all the moaning and stuff that’s been coming
from his room, I don’t think that bed has been used much for
sleeping.”

Chance was saved from having to answering when a

knock sounded. Before he even had a chance to answer the
door, it burst open and Dalton practically shot into the room.
His eyes were wide with excitement and he spoke so fast the
words practically tumbled over each other.

“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You have to come out and see

what Russell sent me!”

“A Frisbee and rawhide bone?” Riley quipped.
Xavier popped him on the arm. “Watch it, my mate’s a

Wolf, too.”

“But since it’s Ranger, I overlook that flaw.”
“Why do I put up with you?”
Riley flashed a snarly grin. “Because we share DNA.” He

then held up the piece of toast. “Hey, Dalton. Do you see a

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spider in this?”

Dalton paused mid-breath. “No, why? Should I?”
Chance just shook his head and ushered Dalton out.

“Don’t even get him started. Why don’t you show me what
Russell bought you.”

Once they were outside, Dalton flashed a set of keys. “He

got me a frigging Bentley Continental GT! It was just
delivered.”

Holy crap, it looked like Dalton had really hit the jackpot

with his Wolf. “What do Shane and Trevor have to say about
your gift?”

A frown came over Dalton’s face. “I kind of haven’t told

them yet. They really don’t like Russell and tend to get
grumpy whenever I mention his name.”

“You’re going to have to tell them sometime. It’s not like

they’re not going to notice a Bentley parked in the driveway.
That kind of car doesn’t exactly blend into the background.”

“True,” Dalton mused before flashing a wicked grin.

“That still doesn’t mean we can’t go for a little drive first.”

Chance laughed. Like he’d actually refuse that kind of

offer. Any guy in his right mind would jump at the chance to
ride in such a nice car. “If you insist, I guess I have no choice
but to go with you.”

They went out to the front. A crowd had already gathered

around  the  car.  All  of  them  wore  looks  of  awe  and
adoration, all of which were directed at the vehicle. Not that
Chance  could  blame  them.  Bright  red,  with  a  glossy  finish,
the thing really was a wet dream come true. Dalton flashed
an  isn’t-this-cool  look  to  Chance  before  he  fished  out  the
keys.

“It’s mine. All mine. All mine,” Dalton bounced a few

times on the balls of his feet. “Now let’s see what this bitch
can do.”

“Are you sure Shane and Trevor aren’t going to get pissed

Chance’s Vindication

at you for taking off? I know how they like you to take a
guard with you whenever you leave headquarters,” Chance
pointed out.

Dalton searched the crowd, before pointing to a Hawk

shifter. One of the few who’d actually gone out of his way to
be nice to Chance.

“Gage, can go with us,” Dalton declared. “He’s a good

soldier, but he doesn’t have a stick up his ass.”

“Is this going to get me in trouble with Shane and

Trevor?” the Hawk asked.

“Of course it is!” Dalton ginned brightly.
Gage grinned. “Cool, then I’m in.”
They climbed inside, Gage taking the backseat. Dalton ran

his  hands  over  the  dash,  doing  the  It’s-mine  chant  once
more.  As  he  started  it  up,  Chance  and  Gage  exchanged
uneasy glances. Dalton alone was something akin to a litter
of  kittens  jacked  up  on  sugar.  Now  that  he  actually  had
some  horsepower  at  his  disposal,  all  of  Flint  could  be  in
trouble.

An hour later when they pulled back into the parking lot,

Chance felt certain that there was a permanent indentation
left behind from his fingers grabbing the dash. Dalton, on
the other hand, wore a huge grin and kept laughing.

“This is so damn cool,” Dalton said for what had to be the

millionth time.

“Yeah, just fan-frigging-tastic,” Gage groaned from the

backseat.

The Hawk’s face had a green tinge to it and he kept

clutching his seatbelt, as if needing reassurance it was still in
place. “Now I know why Trevor warned me to run the other
way if you ever wanted to drag me along on one of your
outings. You’re a menace.”

“Admit it, you had a blast,” Dalton countered, not

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looking the least bit upset at being pegged as a menace.

Chance pointed to a small group gathered by the front

doors. “Not to be a buzzkill, but I think we may be in
trouble.”

Shane and Trevor were there and neither one of them

looked happy. In fact, the fury etched on Shane’s face was so
vicious that a shiver went down Chance’s spine. Dalton
didn’t seem worried at all, he even grinned and waved at his
guardians.

As soon as they got out, Shane and Trevor descended on

them. Chance and Gage both took a couple of steps back, but
Dalton held his ground. The smile never once wavered.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” Shane

demanded.

“I got a new car and I took it out for a drive.”
“Yeah, we heard about where you got it. You need to

send it back,” Trevor admonished.

“No way in hell am I sending that back. Are you crazy?”

Dalton snapped.

“Yes, I am,” Shane replied curtly.
“You know you’re not supposed to go anywhere without

Shane or I being with you,” Trevor said.

“I took Gage.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “What’s one twink Hawk shifter

going to do if you get attacked?”

“Hey!” Gage protested. “I’m not a twink. I’m bigger than

you.”

They continued to argue, but Chance didn’t listen

anymore. Something moving on the roof, distracted his
attention. Narrowing his eyes so he could see better, he was
further confused when he realized it was Riley.

Why in the hell would Riley be on the roof? It was a well-

known fact the Eagle was terrified of heights. Intrigued,
Chance went inside and up the stairs leading to the roof.

Chance’s Vindication

When he got there and found Riley standing right at the

edge and staring down, Chance’s curiosity turned to fear.
Riley for his part didn’t seem aware that he was no longer
alone. He just continued to look down, almost like he was in
a trance.

Something told Chance not to make any sudden moves so

he slowly inched forward and called out in a soothing voice,
“Riley. What’s going on?”

Riley whipped his head into Chance’s direction, a dreamy

smile playing on the Eagle’s face. “Oh, hi. I’m so glad you’re
here. You need to see this.”

“See what?” Chance’s heart pounded in his chest as he

realized just how close Riley’s toes were to the edge. While
Riley may be an Eagle and could fly, in his human form, he
could still fall to his death.

“I got it all figured out,” Riley made the declaration in an

awed tone.

“You do?”
“Yes, I know how to finally get over my fear of heights. I

just need to let myself fall this one time. Once I hit the
bottom, I’ll realize that it’s not so bad and then I won’t be
afraid anymore.”

The plan was so irrational that Chance didn’t even know

how to begin arguing with it. Instead, he decided that he
needed to find a way to coax Riley away. “Don’t you want
Xavier and Colin to see you when you do this?”

Riley scowled. “No, they’d just try to talk me out of it.

They never understand my ideas.”

The Eagle’s body seemed to sway a bit. Chance nearly

cried out in alarm, but held it in, not wanting to spook Riley.
“I really think Xavier would want to see this. Hey, he may
even want to jump with you.”

Riley paused, his lips pressing together thoughtfully.

“You think so?”

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A tiny flicker of hope flared inside Chance’s chest. “I know

so. He was just telling me the other day how he hated that
he missed out on so much of your life.”

“Okay, but only if he promises not to tell Colin.”
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t say a word.” Yeah, right. That

was going to be the first thing Chance did once he got Riley
to safety. Chance didn’t know exactly what medication they
had Riley on, but somebody obviously had miscalculated a
dosage or something.

They were halfway to the door leading downstairs when

Riley pulled up short, a scowl coming over his face. “You
must think that I’m really stupid.”

Chance’s stomach dropped. Fuck, and he’d been so close

to  getting  Riley  to  safety,  too.  Striving  to  keep  his  features
calm,  Chance  said,  “I  don’t  know  what  you’re  talking
about.” He put a hand in the small of Riley’s back and tried
to urge him forward, but the shifter didn’t budge.

“You’re trying to trick me,” Riley accused, his upper lip

curling up in a show of aggression.

“No, I’m not. I swear it.”
Riley batted Chance’s hand away and took several steps

away. “You’re a fucking liar. Just like the rest of them!”

“No, I’m not,” Chance protested. He reached out to grab

Riley, but the Eagle danced away. His eyes were dark with
fury. Chance began to panic, realizing he’d lost complete
control of the situation and he may not be able to save Riley
from himself.

“Riley, please. Don’t do this,” Chance begged.
Riley flipped him off, then made a mad dash to the edge

of the roof. Chance knew he had no other choice but to use
brute force. He dove, tackled Riley and brought him down.

They both hit the rough surface of the roof with a hard

thud. Pain exploded from his side, but Chance ignored it,
too intent on getting Riley under control.

Chance’s Vindication

“Let me go, you fucker,” Riley shouted.
The doors to the stairwell burst open and a dozen Hawk

shifters came pouring through. They all wore looks of pure
fury.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Nine

ou stupid fuck!” one of the Hawks snarled.

He grabbed Chance and jerked him away from

Riley. Chance barely had time to register what was
happening before he found himself being thrown in the air.
He hit the roof on his injured side, a ripping sensation letting
him know that the stitches had been broken.

“Wait,” Chance tried to explain. Not only did he want to

get them to understand for his sake, but he was still worried
about Riley. He didn’t want the guy to make another run for
the edge. He opened his mouth to talk, but a scream of pain
came out instead when somebody delivered a hard kick to
his side.

That was only the first of many, too. Chance curled up

into a ball and put his hand over his head in a futile effort to
protect himself. All the while, the Hawks continued to hurl
insults.

“Fucking Raven.”
“How dare you even touch Colin’s mate?”
“You’re just as disgusting as the rest of them.”
“They should have never let you live, let alone step foot in

headquarters.”

Chance realized that there was a chance that he may not

get off this roof alive. He let out a sob at the thought of never
seeing his siblings or Thomas again.

A loud roar filled the air. The Hawks all looked up, horror

etched on their faces as Shane came running over, Trevor,

“Y

Chance’s Vindication

Dalton and Gage hot on his heels.

Dalton threw himself on top of Chance while the others

formed a semi-circle around Chance. The air grew thick with
tension as both sides faced off. The only sounds were
Chance’s moans and the growls coming from the felines.

“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Shane

finally snapped.

One of the Hawks pointed at Chance. “He attacked our

second in command’s mate.”

Trevor glanced over at Riley. “Is that true?”
Riley just gave a whimsical smile as he began to hum a

song under his breath.

Another Hawk shot Gage a look of pure venom. “Why are

you siding with them? Are you a Hawk or a feline lackey?”

“I’m on whatever side is right,” Gage replied.
“And you think that we’re wrong?”
“Yes, there’s no way that Chance could harm anybody.

Especially Riley. He’s Xavier’s twin and Chance would
rather shoot himself in the foot than hurt either one of
them.”

“He’s a Raven!” a Hawk shouted.
“No, he’s Chance and he’s a friend,” Gage countered.
“Why don’t we ask Chance what happened?” Dalton

suggested.

Chance could feel the heat from all the gazes as they

locked in on him. Struggling to get to a sitting position, he
had to take several breaths before he could speak, “Riley
wants to jump from the roof.”

“So he’s an Eagle. He probably just wants to go on a fly,”

one of the younger looking Hawks said.

Shane gave him an utter look of disgust. “Wow, you give

a new meaning to the term bird brain.”

“Riley’s afraid of heights. He’s never been able to take

flight from the roof,” another Hawk supplied, his face

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growing pale.

Riley finally spoke up. “But just think, when I fall to the

ground, I won’t fear the pain anymore.”

“Oh my God,” one of the Hawks muttered as he shot

Chance a guilty look.

Meanwhile, Riley continued to babble. “It’s the perfect

plan. Or at least it was until Chance tried to stop me.”

Gage growled at his fellow Hawks before he knelt by

Riley and began to speak in low tones. Whatever he said
must have worked because they both got up and walked
inside.

“They used to live together before coming to the coalition

so Gage is accustomed to dealing with Riley’s episodes,”
Dalton explained in a whisper.

“I sure could have used him a few minutes ago,” Chance

tried to kid. His joke fell flat when he let out a groan of pain.

Damn, he hurt everywhere. His head felt like it was ready

to split. His side ached even worse than when it’d first been
scratched and his ribs screamed in protest whenever he took
a breath.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t beat each and

every one of you right now,” Shane demanded in a near
snarl.

A Hawk held up his hands in a peace gesture. “We’re

really sorry we jumped to conclusions. When we heard Riley
screaming, we came to find out what was going on. Then
when we saw him and Chance struggling, we attacked
without thinking it through.”

“We’re really, really sorry,” another added.
“Sorry isn’t going to make his bruises go away,” Dalton

snapped with a venom uncharacteristic of his usual
sweetness. His gaze softened as he glanced up at his
guardians. “We need to get him to the infirmary.”

Trevor carefully picked Chance up, cradling him in his

Chance’s Vindication

arms. Chance tried hard to hold back the whimper of pain,
but it still managed to slip out. He decided that maybe he’d
be better off sticking to his apartment from now on. It may
be boring as hell, but at least he would be safe. It seemed
that every time he got it into his mind to wander, he ended
up on a hospital cot.

Even though Trevor tried to take it easy, every step the

Panther took felt like agony to Chance. He buried his face in
Trevor’s chest to muffle the worst of his groans and
whimpers.

When they finally made it the infirmary, Chance nearly

wept in relief. Trevor gently sat him down on a bed and then
moved to the side to let Jacyn in.

“Are you here again?” Jacyn teased. “One more time and

I’m going to issue you a punch card, like Shane has.”

Shane flashed a grin. “After ten visits you get a free

smoothie.”

Chance tried to laugh, only to moan when pain lanced

through his body. Jacyn’s eyes narrowed as he carefully
studied Chance’s wounds.

“Does Mitchell know about this?” Jacyn finally asked, his

voice shaking with fury.

Shane shook his head. “Not yet, we were too concerned

about getting Chance here first.”

“I’ll be having a word with both Mitchell and Daniel. This

is just fucked up,” Jacyn seethed.

Daniel was the leader of the Hawks. Since he was married

to Jacyn and Mitchell’s brother, the shifter was also close to
the  Jaguars.  So  he  may  actually listen when Jacyn  spoke  to
him.  Then  Chance  brushed  that  thought  aside,  in-laws  or
not,  there  was  no  way  in  hell  any  Hawk  leader  would  get
that upset over a Raven’s wellbeing.

Jacyn tried to cut away Chance’s clothes, but relented

when informed they were new. Jacyn lifted up the shirt

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instead, his lips pressing together in disapproval when he
looked at the scratches. “Doc is going to be pissed when he
sees they ruined all his hard work.”

“Sorry,” Chance replied.
“Are you sure you don’t want to shift? It would be so

much easier for you.”

Chance shook his head. “I just…can’t. I’m sorry.”
It shocked him when Shane seemed to be the most

understanding of all. He put a hand on Chance’s shoulder
and gave a comforting squeeze. “That’s okay. Nobody is
going to make you do anything you don’t want to.”

Chance let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks. It’s just…” he

trailed off, not able to voice his fears.

Shane’s gaze softened with understanding. “I get it. You

don’t have to explain it to me.”

It dawned on Chance that Shane must have gone through

much of the same hatred. Leopards were not liked and
feared by most in the feline community so Shane no doubt
faced much the same prejudice that Chance did.

A loud commotion made them all jump.
“Where is he? Somebody better tell me what in the hell

happened?” Thomas roared as he walked in.

Chance shrank back, thinking that maybe he was the one

Thomas was angry at. Then Thomas rushed over and pulled
Chance into a tender hug. “I’ll kill them for touching you.”

“It’s okay, they didn’t realize what was happening. They

were only doing their duty and protecting their second’s
mate.”

Shane hooked a thumb toward the door. “We’ll give you

guys some privacy.”

After they left, Thomas pulled back and began to slowly

examine Chance’s wounds, growls rumbling in his chest. His
touch remained gentle, however, as did the look in his eyes
when he gazed back up.

Chance’s Vindication

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Thomas finally said.
“Where were you?” Chance asked. Damn, he hadn’t

meant  that  to  come  out  sounding  so  lost  and  needy.  He
couldn’t  help  it  though.  As  stupid  as  it  was,  whenever  he
hurt  or  was  scared,  Chance  found  himself  aching  for  the
comfort of the other man.

By way of answer, Thomas reached into his coat and

pulled out a battered, stuffed animal. As he handed it over,
Chance let out a sob. It was the stuffed Yogi that Dulla had
been forced to leave behind.

“You went all the way back for this?” he asked, his voice

breaking.

No wonder Thomas had been gone for so long. Chance’s

childhood home was deep in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. It took hours to drive there and back.

Yet, Thomas had done it and for him…a Raven.
A swell of emotions welled in Chance’s chest as he gazed

down at the bear. The stupid thing looked back up at him
with its goofy plastic eyes. Everything became a blur and
Chance realized he was about to cry.

“Oh, God. I don’t want them to see me like this,” he

breathed.

Thomas moved quickly, closing the privacy curtain

around them. He then pulled Chance into his arms. Chance
laid his head on Thomas’s shoulder and finally, for the first,
time let go. He cried for the loss of his parents. For how the
Ravens treated his sister. For the loss of their home. For what
he had been forced to do to survive. For the way the felines
treated him like he was a cross between a leper and the
boogie monster.

Most of all, he cried because he now realized just how

much he loved Thomas. Chance also realized that there was
no way they could ever be mated either. For no matter what,
the fact that he was a Raven would always be in the way.

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Through it all, Thomas spoke soothing words and stroked

Chance’s hair. Chance clung to that comfort, using it to keep
him anchored. They stayed that way, even when they could
hear Riley being brought in.

It wasn’t until the sounds of loud retching filled the air

that Chance winced, feeling bad for Riley. While they’d
managed to do wonders with his drug regiment, some of the
stronger stuff still made him sicker than hell.

Chance still kept his face buried in Thomas’s chest, not

willing  to  give  up  that  small  bit  of  comfort  yet.  Thomas
didn’t  seem  in  any  hurry  to  break  the  contact  either.  He
continued  to  hold  Chance  until  they  were  interrupted  by  a
shifter Chance had never seen before.

Going by his white jacket, he was a doctor, despite the

fact that he looked too young to have gone through medical
school.  With  a  beautiful  olive  complexion  and  almond
shaped eyes, he kind of reminded Chance of the psychiatrist
from  the  Law  and  Order  TV  show.  The  only  real  difference
being the shifter wore his hair gelled up in a more up-to-date
stylish  way.  That  and  the  t-shirt  and  jeans  he  had  on.
Somehow  Chance  didn’t  see  too  many  doctors  wearing  a
shirt that had a cartoon of a pouting bear and the words I’m
a sad panda on it. Another distinction  was the shifter’s eyes.
They were bright blue and almost piercing.

“Hi, I’m North.” When Chance and Thomas blinked in

surprise, the shifter smiled. “I know, it’s weird, but that’s
what my parents stuck me with. You gotta hand it to Fox
shifters, they love to be different.”

“Hi, I’m Chance.”
North held up a medical file. “I know. Doc Featherstone

asked me to take a look at your case and see if I can help.”

“Help how?”
“I deal with emotional and mental issues.”
“Are you trying to say that Doc thinks I’m crazy?”

Chance’s Vindication

Chance asked, thoroughly offended.

“No, he just thinks you need help getting through some

things. Since I was already at the infirmary helping Riley
out, we thought that maybe this would be a good time for us
to talk.”

Riley chose that moment to start retching again. Chance

cocked his head in the direction of the noise. “You’re not
going to do that to me, are you?”

North smiled. “No, Riley’s case is completely different.”
“So, what exactly is it that you want to do to me?” Chance

asked, with heavy distrust.

“Just talk. I’d like for you to come in once or twice a

week.”

“This is because I won’t shift. Isn’t it?” Chance glared at

the Fox.

“Partly, it’s concerning that you’d rather go through all

this pain when a simple shift could take care of most of the
wounds.”

Damn, when he put it that way, it kind of did make

Chance look like he had some major emotional issues.
Chance snuggled deeper into Thomas’s embrace and
admitted, “I don’t want anybody to see me that way.”

Thomas gave him a squeeze. “We can close the curtains so

nobody else can look at you.”

Nervous, Chance took a deep breath and finally admitted

to his biggest fear of all. “I don’t want you to see it either.”

“Why?”
“I don’t want you to go back to hating me.”
Thomas cupped Chance’s face. “That will never happen. I

swear it to you.”

Chance shot an uncertain glance in North’s direction.

“Are you sure it won’t gross you out?”

“Trust me, kid, I’ve seen way worse.”
It scared the ever living crap out of him, but Chance

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realized he had to take the chance. Not only did he need to
heal, but this would show Thomas that Chance trusted him.

“Make sure the curtain is closed tight,” Chance ordered as

he got up and stood away from the bed and medical cart.

He closed his eyes and let the change come over him.

Unlike other shifters, his transformation didn’t come as a
bright light. Instead a dull, illumination shimmered over his
body.

There was a brief moment of pain, but Chance learned

from his first time and just gave over to the shift rather than
fighting it. It went much quicker this time and in a matter of
moments, he was in his Raven form.

He only held it for as long as necessary to heal, before he

shifted  back  to  his  human  form.  Once  it  was  complete,  he
looked  down  at  his  body.  Aside  from  some rips  and  stains
on  his  clothes,  he  was  back  to  normal.  Even  the  scratch
wounds from the night before had healed.

Terrified of what he’d find, Chance forced himself to look

at Thomas. Instead of the hatred and disgust, Thomas wore
an expression of pure lust. His cheeks were flushed and his
eyes were dark with desire. Most arousing of all, his canines
had grown larger. Something Chance didn’t know felines
were capable of doing while still in their human form.

“Come here,” Thomas ordered.
The need that was so evident in that gravelly voice, sent a

jolt of desire down Chance’s spine. As he slowly moved
forward, his cock grew hard and it was all he could do to
hold in a groan.

When he reached the bed, Chance didn’t hesitate, he

climbed  up,  straddling  Thomas’s  lap  so  they  were  facing
each  other.  Their  lips  were  just  inches  apart  and  Chance
soon  covered  that  distance  as  well,  pressing  their  mouths
together in a scorching kiss.

Thomas growled, his hands shooting out to cup Chance’s

Chance’s Vindication

ass. He pulled them closer together, making their cocks
grind together perfectly. Waves of pleasure shot through
Chance.

“I can see that I’m not needed here anymore,” North

cracked. “I still expect to see you in my office next week
though, Chance.”

They didn’t respond to the Fox, both too busy kissing

each other. Since Chance discovered how nice it felt to rub
against each other, he did a few more times. When Thomas
groaned in return, a heady thrill went through Chance. It
was the best turn on of all, to know that he had this effect on
the strong Lion.

Chance rolled his hips again, a whimper ripping from his

throat at the wonderful sensation. “Need you.”

“Let’s get out of here then. Otherwise we’re going to give

the infirmary one hell of a show.”

“Hurry, I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”

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Chapter Ten

homas stood up so quickly that he almost dumped
Chance on the ground. Recovering quickly, he caught

the Raven just in time. Chance looked up, a sexy grin
playing on his lips.

“You’re not wasting any time, are you?” Chance teased as

he picked up the Yogi doll from the bed.

Thomas got them both steady on their feet, grabbed

Chance’s hand and practically dragged him out of the
infirmary. Chance let out a soft laugh. “I guess that answers
my question.”

While Thomas would have loved to go to his apartment,

where they could have a bit more privacy, it was a five
minute drive away. Since, he didn’t want to waste even that
small amount of time, he opted to go to Chance’s apartment.

When they got there and the place was empty, Chance

wanted to yell the Hallelujah chorus. Maybe they could get
some seclusion after all. He led the way back to Chance’s
bedroom and closed the door behind them.

If the way Thomas was taking charge intimidated him,

Chance didn’t show it. He just gazed up from under the lock
of  hair  in  his  face,  desire  burning  in  his  eyes.  Thomas
wondered  how  he  could  have  ever  thought  that  Chance’s
gaze  was  soulless  or  expressionless.  The  emotions  had
always been there, plain to see, one just had to be willing to
look closely enough.

Thomas pulled Chance in for a kiss. If he lived to be a

Chance’s Vindication

thousand  years  old,  he’d  never  grow  tired  of  the  sweet
flavor  of  the  Raven.  The  fact  that  Chance  returned  the
passion  while  still  being  timid  at  times  only  made  things
better.

“Mine,” Thomas growled, not even caring that he was

coming off as the aggressive alpha.

“Okay,” Chance agreed, opening up for another kiss, the

Yogi doll falling from his hand and hitting the floor with a
soft thud.

Thomas happily obliged, at the same time reaching down

to unsnap Chance’s jeans. Lowering the zipper, he reached
in and pulled out Chance’s already hard cock. Rubbing his
thumb over the tip to gather up some pre-cum, Thomas
began to move his hand up and down the shaft.

Chance let out a soft moan, his body arching into

Thomas’s touch. Thomas smiled, loving that at least in the
bedroom Chance had no trouble letting his wants be known.

Putting his hands on Thomas’s shoulders, Chance looked

down to where Thomas was stroking him. Several strands of
dark  hair  fell  over  Chance’s  face,  highlighting  his  creamy
complexion.  His  cheeks  were  flushed  with  passion,  his  lips
swollen  and  red  from  all  the  kissing.  Thomas  couldn’t
remember when he’d ever seen anyone so beautiful before in
his life.

“Please tell me that we’re going to do more than give each

other hand jobs this time,” Chance panted.

“We’re going to do much more. I’m going to claim you.”
“Okay.”
That wasn’t enough, Thomas had to be sure that Chance

fully understood the implication of his words. “That means
after tonight you belong to me only. And I mean forever.”

Chance froze, his eyes growing wide. “But I’m a Raven.”
“True, but you’re also my Chance and I wouldn’t change

one thing about you.”

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“Are you sure about this? You’re not just saying all this

because you’re horny?” Chance pressed, a worried
expression passing over his face.

Thomas kissed the look away. “I’ve never been more

certain of anything in my life. I would have already done it
sooner, but I wanted to make sure you were healed before
we did any real kind of aggressive activities.”

Chance gave him a sweet, somewhat shy grin. “Heck, if

I’d known that then I would have given in and shifted a lot
sooner.”

Thomas grabbed the hem of Chance’s shirt and pulled it

over his head. Tossing it to the side, Thomas ran his hand
over where the scratch marks used to be. All that remained
were a few faded red marks. Thomas still took time to
tenderly kiss each one.

The smooth, glide of Chance’s flesh pressed against

Thomas’s lips felt so good that he almost came in his jeans,
like some inexperienced cub. When he got to where
Chance’s pants were, it was a matter of shoving them down,
since they were already undone.

Chance helped by kicking off his own shoes and tugging

his  underwear  and  socks  off.  Once  he  had  his  mate
completely  naked,  Thomas  took  a  moment  to  drink  in  his
beauty,  before  issuing  an  order,  “Grab  the  lube  and  get  in
bed.”

It wasn’t exactly the most romantic line, but it did the

trick. Chance scrambled on his bed and reached over to his
nightstand drawer, pulling out a bottle of lube. Thomas
began to take off his own clothes, never taking his gaze off
his lover.

Chance opened the bottle and squirted some of the liquid

on  his  fingers.  Then,  after  giving  Thomas  a  mischievous
grin,  Chance  laid  down  on  his  back  and  began  to  thrust  a
finger  inside  his  own  tight  ass,  getting  himself  ready  for

Chance’s Vindication

Thomas’s cock.

With his other hand, Chance started to stroke his erection,

his face a mask of pleasure. The visual was so perfect, that it
took Thomas a few breaths to realize that he’d frozen in the
middle of the act of stripping. Finally, his brain caught up
with his cock and Thomas got into gear. He lost the rest of
his clothes and climbed on the bed, situating himself
between Chance’s legs.

Grabbing the lube, Thomas slicked up his erection, then

gently batted his lover’s fingers away. Chance muttered a
curse, but allowed it, reaching up with both hands to clutch
onto the headboard. Thomas took a moment to drink in the
image of his mate all stretched out, the sweat making his
body glisten in places.

“Beautiful,” he praised.
He then lined the tip of his cock up to Chance’s hole and

pressed inside. Thomas meant to go slow and gentle, but as
soon as he felt the warm, tightness of his mate surrounding
him, all thoughts of self-control were shredded. Letting out a
growl, Thomas slammed all the way in.

“Fuck, yeah! Just like that,” Chance cried, his eyes rolling

up into his head.

Thomas paused, an amused smile coming over his lips.

Who knew that Chance would be such a potty mouth in
bed? It was a trait that Thomas immediately found
appealing. He pulled back and then slammed in again, this
time earning a loud groan from Chance.

Chance seemed to want it rough so that’s how Thomas

gave it to him. The few times he did pause, worried that he
might be abusing the smaller man too much, Chance would
growl in anger. He even dug his sharp nails into Thomas’s
shoulder in a demand for more.

“Gonna come,” Chance whimpered.
At the same moment, he tilted his head to the side, baring

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his throat in a sign of ultimate submission. The sight threw
Thomas over the edge, roaring, he came, his cock pulsating
inside Chance.

“Mine,” Thomas snarled before he bit into Chance’s neck.
Chance yelled, hot seed covering both their stomachs as

he found his own climax. Thomas continued to thrust inside,
milking every bit of pleasure from his mate. It wasn’t until
Chance stopped letting out soft mewls that Thomas pulled
out.

He didn’t move any more than that, instead, dipping his

head to lick at the bite mark marring Chance’s pale skin.
Then Thomas gave in and did something he’d been dying to
do from the first moment he laid eyes on Chance. Tilting his
head, he rubbed his cheek against first one side and then the
other of Chance’s face.

Thomas wanted to drench the other man in his scent. That

way when any other feline came within sniffing distance of
Chance they would immediately know who he belonged to.

Only then did Thomas get up, but only enough to roll to

his side. Reaching out, he pulled Chance tight to his chest
and began stroking the man’s hair. Chance let out a happy
humming sound as he snuggled in deeper.

“That was amazing,” Chance said.
“Yes, it was.”
“Can we do it again soon?”
Thomas chuckled. “Babe, we can do it as many times as

you want.”

“Good, because I think I’ve become addicted to you,”
Thomas couldn’t have agreed more. Now that he finally

got a taste of the sweet Raven, Thomas knew that he’d never
get enough.

* * * *

Chance’s Vindication

Chance  woke  up  only  slightly  surprised  to  find  the  room
was  still  cloaked  in darkness.  Even  though he  and  Thomas
had  made  love  several  more  times  and  stayed  up  late,
Chance guessed he’d only been asleep for a couple of hours
tops.

Thomas had his arm thrown over Chance’s waist, the

heavy weight strangely making Chance feel safe. He turned,
burying his nose in Thomas’s hair. A smile came to his face
as he smelled the scent from Dulla’s special strawberry
shampoo. He and Thomas had showered right before they
fell asleep and the Lion’s hair was still a bit damp.

Since he didn’t feel that tired, Chance slipped from bed

and crept out of the room. He figured he may as well go to
the infirmary and see how Riley was doing. Even if the
Hawks were still pissed, Chance wasn’t going to let that stop
him from checking up on his friend.

After he put on his shoes, Chance left the apartment and

started  to  walk  through  headquarters.  Since  it  was  still
technically  the  midnight  crew,  there  weren’t  too  many
felines  or  Hawks  moving  around.  They  all ignored  Chance
and he returned the favor.

He noticed that he was walking by the entrance to the jail

and paused, his stomach growing tight as he looked at the
door. Thomas’s brother, Colby was somewhere in there.
What’s worse, he was suffering and all thanks to the Ravens.

Regret slammed into Chance as he realized that despite

Thomas’s promises the night before, they could never truly
be a happily mated pair until Colby was back to normal.

Chance resented the situation and silently cursed the

Ravens for all the pain they caused. And for what reason?
Just because they liked to hurt others. It just didn’t make any
sense to Chance.

Before he even realized what he was doing, his hand was

pushing open the door. As he walked inside the jail, he half-

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expected somebody to yell at him, but nobody seemed to
mind. Probably because they didn’t see one scrawny,
untrained Raven as a real threat.

When he’d first arrived at the coalition, Chance had

stayed for a brief time in the jail so he knew exactly where
they kept the feral shifters. With some trepidation, Chance
made his way there.

Several cells lined the walls, all of them filled. At first

Chance worried that he wouldn’t be able to figure out which
one was Colby. Then he noticed that there was only one Lion
in the bunch. It didn’t take much detective skills to deduce
which one Colby was.

His gut wrenched as he stared at the creature pacing

inside the large cage. If Colby’s humanity was still inside the
animal, Chance couldn’t see it. The Lion looked so angry—
so wild, that it was hard to see anything else. The Lion
turned to look at Chance, its mouth opening in a loud roar.
Several of the other ferals answered it, their calls filling the
air.

“Hey, what are you doing up this early?” a soft voice

called from behind him.

Chance spun around and found a Tiger shifter named

Owen standing a couple of feet away. Worried that he
would suspect a Raven shifter lurking around the feline ran
jail, Chance stammered, “I…I was…just checking up on
Colby.”

Owen smiled. “That’s okay. Everybody knows how close

you and Thomas are. It only makes sense that you’d want to
meet his brother.”

“What do you mean by everybody knows how close we

are?” Chance hedged.

“Dude, you should have seen the way Thomas flipped

out yesterday when he walked in and found out you were in
the infirmary again.”

Chance’s Vindication

“Really?”
“Yeah, he nearly ripped the place apart.”
The thought that Thomas actually cared enough to go all

caveman made Chance feel a little bit better. That was until
he looked back at the cage. He let out a sigh, his heart
breaking for Colby and Thomas.

“Isn’t there anything more you can do for them?” he

asked Owen.

Since Owen was the coalition’s expert on poisons, he’d

been the one leading the team of researchers who were
looking for a way to cure the ferals.

Owen gave a sad shake of his head. “We’re close, but we

still haven’t had that major breakthrough yet.”

“What’s holding you back?”
“We haven’t been able to get a pure sample of whatever it

is the Ravens are using. While I’ve been able to pinpoint it in
the water system, the sample is so diluted that I can’t fully
analyze it.”

As those words sunk in, Chance thought back to the brief

time he’d worked for the small gang of Raven lackeys. While
they’d mostly done just grunt work that the higher-ranking
Ravens thought beneath them,  there’d been one time when
they’d  been  trusted  with  something  bigger.  While  they’d
never let on to Chance exactly what it was, he did recall that
they had several bottles of some kind of liquid in the back of
their van. He also remembered that the gang’s leader, Avis,
had  kept  one  of  the  bottles  as  a  souvenir.  He  kept  it  in  the
den  in  a  foolish  attempt  to  make  himself  look  more
important.

Chance realized what he had to do. It would be

dangerous, some would even say foolish, but he had no
choice. Plus, if he was successful, he may just be able to save
not only his relationship with Thomas, but Colby as well.

Muttering a thanks to Owen, Chance turned away from

Chance’s Vindication

Chapter Eleven

hance’s heart worked out a rapid beat as he walked up
the stairs leading to the house that the Raven gang used.

As  he  tripped  over  a  warped  plank  on  the  steps,  Chance
realized that house really was a subjective word when used
to  describe  the  dump.  A  hovel  that  had  boarded  up
windows  and  a  sagging  roof,  it  should  have  been
condemned years ago.

He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before he

knocked on the door. As he waited for somebody to answer
it, he wiped the beads of sweat off his brow and tried hard to
school his features. If the Ravens even suspected that he was
ball-numbing scared, then his mission would be a failure
before it even began.

Avis answered the door with a snarl, “Who in the fuck is

banging on my door so early?”

When the Raven’s beady eyes shifted to hone in on

Chance, fear slid down his spine. He fought the urge to
squirm as he smiled up at Avis. “Hey, it’s me.”

Damn, how could he have forgotten how disgusting his

one-time employer looked? While most Ravens were gross,
Avis took it to a new level. His black leathers were coated in
some kind of greasy substance, and the stench rolling from
the guy almost made Chance gag.

“What are you doing here? I thought the felines had taken

you in as a pet?” Avis sneered.

“They kicked me out when I wouldn’t tell them

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100

everything I knew about Ravens,” Chance lied. “I thought
that maybe it was time that somebody showed those uppity
cats what happens when they cross a Raven.”

Okay, so maybe that last little bit sounded like it came

straight from one of those cheesy action movies he and
Thomas watched. He was relieved to see that it still worked.
Avis stepped aside and let Chance walk in.

If he thought Avis stunk, the smell inside was a million

times worse. Chance swallowed hard several times in an
effort to keep from vomiting as a rancid, ripe stench
assaulted his nose.

The only furniture decorating the inside was all broken or

shattered. Even the heavy, oak kitchen table was split in half.
Although that could be because of the large, rotting deer
carcass sitting on top of it. Two Ravens were using their bare
hands to eat it, one of them holding up a bloody offering to
Chance.

“No thanks, I had some road kill squirrel last night and

I’m still full,” he replied.

As gross as his comment was, it appeased the Raven. The

bird shrugged, then shoved the food into his mouth, his dark
eyes glinting in the stark lighting of the room.

Chance almost yelled when somebody came up behind

him and pressed their body into his back. Cool fingers
reached out and stroked his cheek. “What is this we have
here?”

Avis turned and gave a cruel smile. “It’s that feline loving

Raven we lost.”

Chance barely heard those words because his gaze had

landed on something of more importance. Sitting on top of
the dusty mantle of the dirty fireplace was a brown bottle.
The one that Avis had insisted on keeping after that damn
mission.

Now all Chance had to do was figure out a way to grab it

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101

and get the hell out of….well, this hell. Which wasn’t going
to be easy with this strange Raven manhandling him.

“He smells bad,” the molesting Raven declared.
That comment was so ironic Chance almost laughed. He

smelled bad? That was rich coming from a guy who reeked
like the bad end of a rendering plant.

When Avis gave another one of his evil smiles, Chance’s

heart picked up speed. His mouth grew dry as he found
himself pinned under the leader’s icy cold stare.

“Chance smells bad because some feline rubbed their

scent all over him. Funny thing is they only do that when
they’re fucking.” Moving in quick, Avis grabbed the collar of
Chance’s shirt and jerked it down, revealing Thomas’s bite
mark. “It’s also something they do to their mates.”

“Are you trying to say that he’s in love with a cat?” the

molester actually had the gall to gag at that suggestion.

“Oh, yeah. And now we get to show Chance what

happens to those who play for the wrong team.”

Panic flooded Chance as he realized that he’d fucked

up—bad. And there might be no getting out of this situation,
at least alive.

* * * *

Thomas didn’t know whether to get mad, upset or worried
and he opted to be all three as he rushed around
headquarters, looking for his mate.

Three hours. That’s how long he’d been looking since he

noticed  that  Chance  was  missing.  So  far  he  didn’t  have  a
damn clue as to where his Raven might be either. Dulla and
Xavier  were  helping  him,  both  of  them  just  as  frantic  with
worry.

Strangely enough, so were most of the Hawks. They all

felt guilty about the incident on the roof and were eager for a

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102

way to make it up. In Thomas’s opinion, he didn’t think they
could ever make good on that fuck-up, but he was willing to
take the help if it meant getting Chance back.

Shane and Trevor had left HQ with a team of felines so

they  could  expand  the  search.  Since  Shane  was  the  best
tracker,  Thomas  took  some  comfort  in  knowing  the  feline
was in charge of that part of the hunt.

Of course he wouldn’t feel better until he had Chance

back, safe and in his arms. Letting out a growl of frustration,
Thomas punched one of the walls in the main meeting room.

“Calm down, we’ll find him,” Jacyn soothed.
He was there, along with all the other Jaguar brothers,

helping to coordinate the search.

“That’s easy for you to say, it’s not your mate who’s

missing,” Thomas shot back.

If anybody was surprised at his use of the word mate, they

didn’t show it. Jacyn ran a hand along Thomas’s arm in a
comforting manner. “We have all the best guys on the job.
We’ll figure out where Chance is.”

“I think I may have an idea. Or at least a clue that may

help,” a new voice said.

They turned to see Owen walking into the room. The

Tiger wore a look of extreme guilt as he ran a hand through
his hair, “He was down visiting Colby this morning.”

“What time?” Thomas demanded.
“Around three or four. I kind of lose track of time when

I’m working.”

“Did he say anything while he was down there?”
“We talked about the poison used on the ferals and how I

wasn’t able to make an antidote because I haven’t been able
to get my hands on a raw sample of the formula used by the
Ravens.”

Thomas’s blood ran cold as the implication of those

words hit hard.

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103

Jacyn let out a string of curse words. “Crap! Knowing

Chance, he went looking for the formula.”

Owen twisted his hands together. “You really think he’d

be that reckless?”

Thomas nodded, his stomach clenching in dread. “Yeah,

that’s exactly what Chance is doing. If he thinks there’s a
way to help Colby, nothing will stop him from doing it.”

Jacyn whipped out his phone. “I’ll call Shane.”
While Jacyn was on the phone, Owen tripped all over

himself to apologize to Thomas. “I am so sorry. If I’d known
he’d react that way, I’d never would have said anything.”

Thomas held up a hand. “That’s okay. It’s not your fault.

You were just being friendly and talking to him. I don’t
blame you at all.”

Jacyn let out a loud curse as he turned off his phone.

“This is not good at all.”

“What?” Thomas demanded, fear clogging his throat.
“Shane just heard from a contact who said he saw a clean,

cute Raven going into the home of one of the worst Raven
gangs in Flint. That was over two hours ago and nobody has
come out.”

Thomas knew without a doubt that it was Chance who’d

gone inside. After all, how many clean, cute Ravens were
there? Just one and he was Thomas’s mate. Thomas let out a
roar so loud the pictures on the walls shook.

“Gather up a team. We leave in five minutes.”
Chance better be unharmed when they found him too, or

else those Ravens would have hell to pay. They’d find out
the hard way what happens to those who cross a pissed off
Lion shifter.

* * * *

Chance pulled his legs to his chest in an effort to get

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104

comfortable  as  he  surveyed  the  small  closet  they’d  tossed
him in. His best guess was that he’d been in there a couple of
hours. His legs were cramped from lack of having stretching
space,  he  was  thirsty  and  he  had  to  pee.  Still  he  couldn’t
complain  too  much,  since  that’s  all  the  suffering  he’d
experienced so far.

He knew that reprieve would be short lived. A shiver

went  down  his  spine  as  he  imagined  some  of  the  horrors
that  awaited  him.  Worst  thing  was,  he  knew  that  what  the
Ravens  actually  did  to  him  would  probably  be  ten  times
worse than anything he could dream up.

God, how could he have been so stupid? Now that he had

time to calm down and reflect, he could see that he’d been
an utter idiot to think that he could just walk in here and
grab that bottle, without them attacking him. He’d allowed
his emotions to rule his decisions and it’d come back to bite
him in the ass.

Worst of all, he’d left without saying goodbye to Thomas.

Just when they’d finally been mated, too. He’d be lucky if
Thomas didn’t end up hating him.

Of course, Chance wouldn’t be alive to see said hatred.

He knew without a doubt that once the Ravens came to get
him, it would be so they could kill him. While that terrified
him, it also made him sad.

He didn’t want to leave behind his family, friends and

home. For the first time ever, he was beginning to have some
sense of belonging and now it was all going to be taken
away from him. It seemed so unfair.

The door burst open, a shock of light making him

temporarily blind. Chance blinked rapidly to clear his vision,
at the same time scooting back into the corner. If they were
going to be dragging him out, he was sure as hell going to
make them work at it.

Strong hands reached in and jerked him out. Chance

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105

kicked, bit, and scratched, but it didn’t do any good. Out of
desperation, he tried to shift, but all that earned him was a
swift punch to the back of the head. His vision swam and he
could hardly think, much less concentrate enough to
transform.

“Don’t even think about it, cat lover,” Avis snarled.
As soon as his sight cleared, Chance wished for blindness

again. The table that once held the deer carcass had been
cleared off. The blood still remained, along with a vast array
of surgical tools. Thick, leather straps were at the foot and
head of the table, their intention sickeningly obvious.

“Ah, hell no,” Chance yelled as he began to struggle

harder. He tried shifting again. Got hit again. He still
continued to kick and bite, but to no avail. They threw him
on the table, the wet, sticky blood soaking into his shirt.
Chance tried to arch up to get away from it, but a hand to his
chest stayed him.

Avis started to reach for the first strap, then pulled up

short when a series of loud thumps sounded from the roof.
The room stilled as the Ravens’ looks of glee morphed to
terror.

One of them darted to a window and stuck his head out.

“Shit, it’s Hawks. A lot of them.”

Avis backhanded Chance. “Damn it, I knew you were

nothing but trouble.”

A loud roar sounded from outside and Chance smiled

around the trickle of blood that had started to fall down his
chin. “Oh, you have no idea how much trouble is coming
your way now.”

Those were the last words spoken before every intact

window in the home exploded. The Ravens all let out loud
yells as they scattered for their weapons. At the same
moment, various felines in their animal form and Hawks
came pouring in.

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106

Chance knew he had to take cover and rolled to the side,

off the table. Of course, his unlucky ass had to land on the
deer carcass, which had been moved to the floor. He gagged
as goo covered his hands and clothes.

Recovering quickly, he got to a sitting position so he

could see the fight. Actually massacre would be a better
term. Avis and his lackeys were getting their asses handed to
them and then some. Already half of the gang were down
and a good number of the others were wounded.

Chance glanced up at the mantel, relieved to see the bottle

had  made  it  unscathed.  He  knew  it  wouldn’t  be  that  way
much  longer.  Not  with  a  full-blown  battle  going  on.  If  he
didn’t  get  to  it  soon,  then  he’d  never  be  able  to  get  the
formula to Owen.

Scrambling to his feet, Chance made a mad dash across

the room. He had to dodge a couple of commandants along
the way and was almost taken out by a Raven claw. He
finally made it. Reaching up, he snagged the bottle and held
it tight to his chest.

“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Avis

yelled.

Chance spun around and let out a yelp as he found

himself looking down the barrel of a huge-ass gun. He
clutched the bottle tighter to his chest as he backed up, his
spine connecting painfully with the fireplace.

Just as he was flinching in anticipation of the bullet, a

flash of gold came in from behind Avis. The Raven must
have seen it, too, because he turned. Unfortunately for the
poor bastard, he wasn’t quick enough. A huge Lion jumped
on Avis, bringing him to the ground.

Chance flinched as the Raven’s screams of agony ripped

through the air. For some reason, it seemed so much louder
than the rest of the noise coming from the battle. While
Chance really did want to feel bad for the guy, it was kind of

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107

hard to dig up some sympathy for a murderer. Especially
when Chance glanced over at the surgical tools and recalled
how they were intending to use them on him.

Soon Avis’s screams died out and the Raven remained

motionless on the dirty ground. The Lion lifted its blood-
splattered muzzle and let out a roar so loud it hurt Chance’s
ears. Once finished, the feline lowered its head and locked
its gaze on Chance.

Chance didn’t hesitate a second, he rushed across the

room and threw his arms around the Lion’s neck. Burying
his face in the silky mane, Chance said, “Take me home,
Thomas.”

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108

Chapter Twelve

homas held Chance in his arms on the ride home, loathe
to put him down, even when they arrived at

headquarters.

Ever since he’d shifted back, Thomas had been unable to

stop  shaking.  He  couldn’t get  over  how  close  he’d  come  to
losing  Chance.  The  mere  thought  of  those  Ravens  harming
his  mate  made  Thomas  want  to  howl  with  rage  and  tear
apart the bastards…that is if he already hadn’t ripped them
to shreds.

One of the most terrifying things of all was that Thomas

almost  hadn’t  had  the  opportunity  to  tell  Chance  just  how
much  he  meant  to  him.  That  Thomas  loved  him  and  no
matter  if  Colby  ever  got  better,  he  never  wanted  to  let
Chance go.

That was something Thomas planned on remedying soon.

Just as soon as he shook Chance for being so stupid and
almost getting himself killed in the first place.

As they walked inside, the interior was packed with

shifters, feline and Hawk alike. They were all talking loudly,
but grew silent as they spotted Chance and Thomas.

Colin rushed forward to Chance, bent down on one knee

and bowed his head in supplication. “I thank you for saving
my mate’s life. Without your interference, Riley could have
been killed. I pledge my service to you.”

Chance blinked a few times, clearly shocked by the

gesture. “Uh…yeah, thanks, but that’s really not necessary. I

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109

just did it because he’s my friend, you don’t need to pledge
anything to me.”

“It would be nice to know that the bastards who beat

Chance were disciplined though,” Thomas growled, not
ready to let the matter completely drop.

Chance shook his head. “That’s okay, they didn’t mean

anything by it. They were just doing their job and protecting
Riley.”

That was just a little too forgiving in Thomas’s book, but

he decided to let it slide, Chance had already been through
enough.

Colin stood and pulled Chance into a tight hug, “Thank

you for being there for him.”

“How is he?”
By way of answer, both Xavier and Riley came running

up. No sooner had Colin pulled away, then they took over,
both of them wrapping Chance up into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry I got you in trouble,” Riley sobbed.
Chance patted his back. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”
“I should have been keeping a better eye on him myself,”

Xavier added.

“Hey, I thought we were all brothers,” Chance gently

chastised.

“We are,” Riley replied.
“Then it’s just as much my job to watch out for Riley. That

goes for all of you. I’ll always have your guys’ back.”

Dulla ran over and punched Chance in the arm. “Don’t

you ever do anything that stupid again.”

She then joined in the group hug. They stayed that way

for a moment before pulling apart. Chance pulled a bottle
from his front pocket and held it out to Owen. “Is this what
you were looking for?”

Owen took it, his hands shaking as he opened the cap.

Taking a deep sniff of the contents, he nodded. “Yes, it is.”

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110

That finally motivated Thomas into action. Crossing the

distance between them, he grabbed Chance by the shoulders
and gave him a slight shake. “What in the hell were you
thinking about, putting yourself in danger that way?”

Chance flushed, darting a self-conscious glance at the

crowd. “I did it for you. I know how much you want Colby
back.”

“Not if it means I have to lose you. Damn it, don’t you

know how much I love you?”

With a gasp, Chance slowly shook his head. “I just

thought that since I was a—”

Thomas growled, cutting him off. “So help me God, if you

say that I can’t want you because you’re a Raven one more
time, I’m going to take you to bed and spank your ass.”

A few titters met his announcement.
He ignored them and continued, “You are the most

important thing to me. I wouldn’t care if you were a one-
armed, purple hippogriff.”

“Although that would be interesting to see,” Carson

drawled, ever the coalition smartass.

“Really?” Chance asked, a tiny smile playing on his lips.
“Yes, you’re my mate and I wouldn’t trade you for a

thousand felines.”

Chance reached up and wrapped his arms around

Thomas’s neck. “I love you, too.”

Thomas let out a laugh of happiness before he leaned

down and captured Chance’s lips in a hard kiss. The crowd
erupted into applause and, at that moment, he realized that
he really did have his happy ending.

All that was missing was Colby, but Chance had finally

given them hope in that aspect, too. In other words, his mate
was a miracle worker in every sense of the word.

* * * *

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111

Chance stood outside Colby’s cage, gazing in as the Lion ate
the food laced with what they all hoped would be the cure
for his feralness.

Of course, Thomas was there, along with Dulla, Xavier,

Ranger, Colin and Riley. Since they all considered each other
family, it only made sense they would want to witness this
important moment.

“How long will it take?” Chance asked Owen.
The Tiger shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
They waited and as the seconds began to tick away into

minutes, Chance felt his hopes dimming. While Thomas
didn’t say anything, he could sense his mate’s
disappointment as well.

Desperate to do something, Chance walked up to the

glass, put his palm against the partition and said, “You
really need to come back to us. Thomas has been waiting so
long for you.”

Chance then went on to talk about Thomas. He told Colby

all  about  Thomas,  including  all  the  good  and  the  bad
attributes.  When  he  ran  out  of  things  to  say,  he  just  began
again  at  the  beginning.  He  didn’t  know  for  how  long  he
spoke, but his voice began to get raspy from so much use.

After what seemed like forever with no change, Chance

let  out  a  sigh  of  defeat  and  allowed  his  forehead  to  rest
against  the  glass.  Thomas  came  up  behind  him,  his  strong
arms  wrapping  around  Chance’s  waist.  Chance  closed  his
eyes,  feeling  like  an  utter  failure.  Damn  it,  they’d  been  so
hopeful, too, now they had no way of reversing the poison.

“Oh my God, look at that,” Xavier breathed, his voice full

of awe.

Chance looked up and found himself locking gazes with a

blond-haired man, who was standing on the other side of the
glass. Dressed in shabby clothes and in dire need of a

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112

haircut, he looked otherwise healthy. He had the same blue
eyes as Thomas, but was about six inches shorter.

“Colby?” Chance whispered.
Colby gave a timid nod, before putting his own hand

against the glass, matching his palm up to Chance’s.

Chance smiled at him. “Welcome home, brother.”