In the Eyes of Crazy

On the Road: Sometimes, the shy quiet type,

really aren’t shy or quiet at all.

Payson thought he’d found his mate once, but

had  been  wrong.  With  his  senses  screwed  up  by
scientist’s  experiments,  he  no  longer  trusts  them.
He  sleeps  with  any  nice  smelling,  willing  male—
and some females—hoping his hyena will want to
keep  one  of  them.  He’s  shocked  and  delighted
when he and his animal are in agreement over one
sexy, nerdy human—Land Zimmerman. The sex is
fantastic,  Land’s  shy  virgin  playfulness  even
better, and Payson gives in to his hyena’s urge to
mark Land. The next morning, things heat up, and
not in a good way. Payson’s jealous hyena attacks
a fellow pack-member standing a little too close to
Land.  Can  Payson  convince  his  skittish  human
that he’s not as crazy as he seems?

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In the Eyes Of Crazy

ISBN: 978-1-77111-442-4

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Chapter One

re you sure this place is safe?” Land glanced
around the parking lot, his nerves flaring in

alarm as a large group of men in biker’s leathers
strode into the club.

“Of course,” Larissa replied, shutting off the

car’s  engine.  “I’ve  been  here  lots  of  times.”  His
sister  turned  and  peered  at  him  in  the  back  seat.
“You’re  not  gonna  chicken  out,  are  you?”  She
eyed him critically.

Land glared at her. “No,” he muttered, even

though he really, really did want to just go home.
His little one bedroom apartment was safe. No one
there would judge him, call him too skinny, laugh
at him for being awkward or socially inept. He
had his computers and his work, and that was
enough.

His right hand worked just fine, especially

when  coupled  with  scenes  of  a  hot  police  officer,
his  uniform  half  off  as  some  guy  got  down  and
dirty to get out of a speeding ticket. Land felt his
dick  thicken  slightly  at  the  memory  of  the  porn

“A

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he’d watched the night before. He’d gladly have
been enjoying that, instead.

How had Larissa talked him into coming out

again?  Right,  she’d  said  that  everyone  was
supposed  to  go  out,  get  drunk,  and  get  laid  on
their  twenty-first  birthday.  That  was  three  days
ago,  and  he’d  finally  had  to  do  the  unthinkable.
Land had come out to his sister, thinking it would
at least get him out of going to a bar with her. He
remembered  the  scene  with  vivid  clarity,  still
shocked at Larissa’s reaction.

Larissa cocked her head, placed her hand on

her hip, and said, “Is that why you’re still a
virgin? Cause you didn’t want anyone to know
you’re gay?”

Sputtering, unable to form a coherent sentence,

Land had felt his face flush and just knew he was
bright red. Finally, he managed to squeak, “Who
says I’m a virgin?”

Larissa had laughed, actually laughed! “Come

on, Land,” she consoled, chucking him lightly on
the shoulder. “You’ve never even been on a date,
and if you actually left this apartment to do
something other than go to the coffee shop or the
corner store for groceries, I’d totally hear about it
from Mitch.” She rolled her eyes, referring to the
building’s doorman. “It’d be the biggest gossip in
the whole complex,” she muttered.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

The heat in his face spread down his neck and

chest. He thought he could actually feel the blood
rushing through his veins. Being pale and nerdy
really sucked sometimes. “So,” he murmured,
glancing away. “You don’t care that I’m gay?”

Scoffing, Larissa shook her head. “Puh-leez!

This  is  San  Francisco.  You’re  probably  the  only
gay  man  in  the  city  who  isn’t  out,  loud,  and
proud.” Before Land could think up a response to
that statement, Larissa went on. “Now, I know an
awesome bar that caters to everyone,” she gushed.
“I’ll  pick  up  an  outfit  for  you.  You’re  still  a
twenty-eight,  right?”  she  asked,  eyeing  his  waist
critically.

“Yeah,” he responded dubiously.
She grabbed a belt loop on his too big jeans and

tugged. “How come you never wear anything that
fits?”

Good thing he always wore a belt. Land knew

she wasn’t trying to de-pants him, but he found
baggy clothes more comfortable. “They’re
comfortable.” He shoved her hand away.

“Whatever,” Larissa said. “Okay. Saturday

night. I’ll be here at seven to get you ready.”

“What am I? A toddler?” He stretched his arm

out  toward  the  refrigerator  door  handle.  “Wait.
What?”  he  asked,  spinning  around.  He  didn’t
actually  remember  agreeing  to  go  out  with  his
sister.

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“Shower before I get here,” Larissa ordered as if

he hadn’t spoken. “And maybe clean up a bit,” she
said, waving a hand in a circle to encompass the
blankets on his futon.

Land slept in the living room and used the

apartment’s one and only bedroom as an office.

“If you bring someone home you don’t want

him to think you’re a slob,” she said pointedly.

Land’s lower jaw dropped. “What?” he

squeaked.

“See you Saturday,” Larissa called, heading

toward  the  door.  She  paused  when  she  reached
the door and turned back to glare at him. Pointing
a  finger  at  him,  she  stated,  “And  don’t  try  to  go
anywhere  to  get  out  of  this.  I  will  track  you
down.”

With that final warning, Larissa left. Land ran a

hand through his hair, pushing the shaggy, black
strands out of his face. His gaze roved over his
stuff, but he didn’t really see it. He’d just come out
to his sister and, not only didn’t she care, she was
dragging him to some bi-friendly club so he could
find someone to take his virginity.

With thoughts of his sister’s acceptance firmly

entrenched in his mind, Land opened the car door
and slid from the vehicle. He gripped the waist of
the tight leather pants and pulled, trying to get
them just a little bit higher. They hugged his hips,

In the Eyes Of Crazy

showing  all  his  skinny  angles,  but  he’d  been  too
embarrassed by the shirt Larissa insisted he wear
to tell her the black leather pants accentuated his
too  pale  skin.  After  all,  the  silver  mesh  top
clinging like a second skin to his narrow shoulders
showed  off  everything  he  didn’t  have.  Yes,  Land
knew  he  was  slender,  but  just  because  he  didn’t
have  fat  on  him  didn’t  mean  he  had  muscles.
Sitting at a computer wasn’t conducive to creating
chest or stomach muscles.

Trying to keep from turning bright red, because

that would be the icing on his uncomfortable cake,
Land followed Larissa and her two girlfriends to
the door. She paid the cover charge, he got IDed,
then they headed inside.

Loud music assaulted Land’s ears. Strobe lights

made  it  difficult  to  see.  He  squinted,  trying  to
make  out  details  of  the  place.  When  his  eyes
adjusted,  allowing  him  to  make  out  features,  he
figured the place looked like a typical night club.
A bar stood in the middle, like a kiosk. The dance
floor was beyond that along with an empty stage
against  the  far  wall.  Booths  lined  each  long  wall
and tables filled every other available space.

Larissa grabbed his arm, catching his attention.

“Don’t get lost,” she admonished.

He realized he’d been standing and staring.

Someone shoved him from behind, sending him
stumbling forward several steps. Instinctively, he

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glared over his shoulder at whoever’d hit him.

“Oh,” he murmured, his head tipping back. At

six feet, Land had never considered himself short,
but this guy was huge. Broad shoulders, thick
arms, and a scar creasing his left cheek, gave the
leather-clad man an air of danger. Land wanted to
run, but his feet seemed glued to the floor.

To his surprise, the big dude simply nodded

and muttered, “Sorry,” then turned and headed in
another direction.

Land watched the guy settle into a booth

crowded with men. They were all shapes and
sizes, but there was one thing they seemed to have
in common. All of them wore some form of
leathers. A biker gang, he realized.

“Well, look who’s here,” Larissa muttered in a

voice thick with something Land couldn’t
determine. “Over two years and he looks almost
the same.”

That time, Land recognized her tone. Bitterness.

He had no idea who Larissa was talking about, but
evidently it hadn’t been a good experience.

Not interested in his sister’s drama, Land

headed  toward  the  table  where  her  friends  were
waiting.  Unwilling  to  sit  just  yet,  he  slapped  the
table  and  said,  “I’m  the  birthday  boy,  so  first
round’s  on  me.  You  all  can  get  the  rest  of  my
drinks tonight. How’s that sound?”

Trisha, a slender brunette with killer legs,

In the Eyes Of Crazy

grinned up at him. “I like that plan. I’ll take a
White Russian.”

“Get me a Cosmo, please,” Gracy requested

distractedly, her focus on a black-haired man who
was giving her the once over.

“What do you want, sis?” Land asked Larissa.

All  the  shouting  over  the  music  was  already
starting  to  give  him  a  headache.  Maybe  if  he  got
buzzed, that would ease and he’d be able to figure
out  how  to  tell  if  anyone  was  interested  in  him.
Yeah, and pigs could start flying, he thought bitterly.

“Oh, are you sure?” Larissa asked.
“Yeah.”
“Um, how about a Green Martian,” she said.
Land nodded. He’d recognized Gracy’s drink,

but sure hoped the bartender knew what the other
two were, because he had no clue. “Okay,” he said
before anyone could change their mind.

He discovered getting to the bar wasn’t as easy

as he’d hoped. Land circled the busy rectangular
booth that made up the bar. Nibbling his lip, Land
contemplated the wisdom of sliding between two
large men when an arm settled over his shoulders.

Looking left, Land found himself staring

directly  into  a  pair  of  gray  eyes.  He  opened  his
mouth  to  say…something,  but  then  the  other
man’s focus dropped to his lips, stealing his breath
with  the  heat  darkening  the  guy’s  pupils  to  the
shade of slate.

Charlie Richards

Then the guy returned his focus to Land’s eyes

and said, “You need help getting to the bar, hot
stuff?”

Hot stuff? Is this guy for real? Land swallowed

hard and couldn’t help sweeping his gaze over the
guy.  Same  height,  so  about  six  feet,  red  hair
cropped short, whipcord lean body with plenty of
clearly  defined  muscle  beneath  his  tight  t-shirt
and…oh…dark  gray  leather  pants  that  currently
matched the man’s eyes.

Awe, what the heck? Wasn’t hooking up what he

was here for? “Yeah, that’d be great.”

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Chapter Two

hen Payson had smelled the dick-swellingly
good man’s scent on Sam, he’d wanted to

throttle  his  friend  for  finding  the  human  first.
Knowing  he  couldn’t  do  that,  Payson  had  done
the  next  best  thing.  He’d  twisted  Sam’s  nipple,
hard, and ordered him to tell him who he’d been
talking to.

Sam had grabbed his hand, shoved him away,

and demanded to know what the fuck he was
talking about. That had, oddly enough, eased
Payson’s hyena. Fortunately, he hadn’t needed to
answer, for Sam had continued, “I almost bowled
some skinny black-haired human down. Of course
I was gonna apologize.”

“Can you point him out?” he asked.
“Uh,” Sam scowled at him, absently rubbing his

nipple, then turned and looked over the throng of
women and men. “I think it’s that guy there,
talking to the group of women,” he said.

Payson had nodded and rose. He’d almost

Charlie Richards

snarled  when  he  felt  the  hand  on  his  shoulder,
then  realized  it  was  Kontra.  He  ducked  his  head
infinitesimally to his alpha. Since the grizzly bear
shifter had finally found his mate a couple weeks
ago,  he’d  become  incredibly  protective,  and  not
just of his mate, Tim.

Grinning, Payson said, “Don’t worry, boss. I’m

just gonna see if he wants to fuck. He smells
good.”

Kontra smirked. “Holler if you need anything.”
Giving the alpha a wink, Payson quipped, “I

think I can fuck him on my own.”

Chuckling, Kontra let go of him and waved him

away.

Payson turned and looked for the black-haired

man  Sam  had  pointed  out  and  started  that  way.
He’d given the guy a quick once over—around his
height, slender bordering on skinny, floppy black
hair  hiding  wide,  pretty  blue  eyes  in  a  lean  face
with  a  slightly  pointy  chin.  Cute,  would  be  the
best classification.

He supposed he could have told Kontra that he

thought maybe the human could be his mate, but
since he’d been wrong before, Payson didn’t want
to get anyone’s hopes up but his own. He always
hoped. Any time he found a nice smelling human,
Payson hoped his hyena would want him or her.
It’d never happened.

Now he stood with his arm around the skittish

In the Eyes Of Crazy

human who smelled like heaven and gingerbread.
Yum. Payson loved gingerbread. He’d much rather
just take the guy somewhere and fuck him, just to
see if his hyena wanted him, too, but this human,
although he was putting on a brave front, smelled
a little wary, too. Payson would have to take it
slow.

I hate slow.
Payson leaned close so he didn’t have to shout

over the music and asked, “What you getting?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” admitted the human, and

wasn’t that sweet in a geeky sort of way.

Grinning, Payson whispered into the man’s ear,

“Then what are you doing at the bar?”

The cute human blushed. “I was gonna ask the

bartender for what’s good.”

“Ah,” Payson murmured. He moved closer,

standing behind the guy, and wrapped his arms
around the man’s waist. “Let me buy you a drink,
hot stuff,” he crooned into his human’s ear. Oh, I
like how that sounds. Mine!

Resting his chin on the human’s shoulder,

Payson  sucked  in  a  lungful  of  the  man’s  heady
scent.  Satisfaction  flooded  Payson  upon  smelling
his  man’s  arousal.  The  intoxicating  aroma  made
his dick—already so hard it ached—leak pre-cum
in his leather pants.

Never one to resist his urges, he rocked his hips

forward and rubbed his erection against the man’s

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ass.  The  guy  tensed  for  several  seconds,  then
pressed  back  against  him.  Payson  groaned.
“Fucking  hell,  you  smell  good,  cute  man.  Wanna
bury my dick in you. Wanna get out of here?”

So much for taking things slow.
To Payson’s frustration, the man tensed. “I-I

don’t know,” he hedged.

“What’s your name?” Payson quickly changed

the subject. It looked like his little human would
need a bit of coaxing after all.

“L-Land Zimmerman,” the human stuttered.
Payson nuzzled the skin behind Land’s neck,

then whispered, “Nice to meet you, Land. I’m
Payson Garcia. We’re not strangers anymore, and I
can relax you far more than alcohol can. I
promise.”

Knowing Land wouldn’t know how serious

Payson  took  his  promises  didn’t  stop  him  from
making  it.  Even  if  the  sweet-smelling  man  didn’t
turn  out  to  be  his  mate,  Payson  would  make
certain he had the best night of his life.

“Larissa says I’m supposed to get drunk on my

birthday,” Land denied.

Payson knew it was a half-hearted attempt,

because  Land  let  him  back  them  both  up  a  step,
away  from  the  bar.  He  really  wanted  his  human
pliable  and  willing  due  to  lust  and  desire,  not
alcohol—which  was  different  for  Payson,  since
normally  he  didn’t  care.  But,  from  the  way  his

In the Eyes Of Crazy

dick tapped against his zipper, he’d worry about it
later.

Oh, wait. Birthday.
“Oh, yeah? How old are you turning?” Payson

asked.  Using  a  passing  crowd  of  men  as  cover,
Payson reached down with one hand and copped
a  feel,  cupping  and  squeezing  once,  twice,  the
erection  filling  Land’s  nice  tight  pants.  Oh,  nice.

Long and slender. I want to suck it like a popsicle and
blow this little geek’s mind!

Land whimpered oh-so-nicely. “T-twenty-one.”
Payson hummed. “That is a special occasion.

How about I take you back to my place, feed you
strawberries, and lick chocolate off your cock?
Would that make a nice birthday present?”

“Oh, my goodness,” Land muttered. A fresh

wave  of  arousal  hit  Payson’s  senses,  telling  him
how  his  soon-to-be  lover  leaked  pre-cum  like  a
sieve.  “Yeah,  that  sounds-that  sounds  good.  Just
let me tell my sister.”

Some instinct Payson didn’t understand but

never ignored told him to get Land out of there as
quickly as possible. “You got a phone?” he asked.
After Land nodded, Payson urged him to text his
sister instead. He turned to look at his table and
caught his friends’ amused smirks. He gave them
a jaunty half salute, grabbed Land’s hand, and led
him through the door.

“Where’s your phone?” Payson asked his shell-

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shocked  human.  If  Payson  had  to  guess,  Land
didn’t  hook-up  often.  He  wondered  how  much
experience the human had. Land pulled a cell out
of  his  deliciously  tight  pants  pocket.  “Send  your
sister  a  message,”  he  ordered  while  steering  the
man toward his bike.

To his satisfaction, Land obeyed, typing a

message using just his thumbs. Payson dropped
back a step and eyed the man’s ass. He hummed
his appreciation at the way the globes flexed
under the fabric.

Land paused and looked around, giving him a

confused look.

Payson grinned unabashedly. “Your ass looks

damn sexy in those pants. I can’t wait to peel them
off and see if those globes are as hot as I imagine
they are.”

“Um, thanks?” Land muttered, his face flushing

red in the moonlight.

Payson laughed. “Come on. I got plans for us,”

he said.

When they reached his bike, Payson

remembered  the  way  Land  had  moaned  and
bucked  in  his  arms  when  he’d  squeezed  his  cock
and a wicked idea formed. First, he’d have to get
them  to  some  place  secluded.  He  grinned  and
handed  the  human  his  helmet  and  jacket  then
swung on board the bullet bike.

After bringing the motorcycle to life, Payson

In the Eyes Of Crazy

looked toward Land and saw his look of disbelief.
Huh,  most  his  pick-ups  couldn’t  wait  to  get  on
and  press  their  erections  against  Payson’s  back.
For  the  first  time,  Payson  took  a  real  look  at  the
man  he  planned  to  fuck  all  night.  Payson  didn’t
really  have  a  type,  happy  to  fuck  and  be  fucked,
enjoying  twinks,  bears,  and  even  the  occasional
silver  fox.  But  the  one  thing  they  all  had  in
common was, they knew the score. Land gave no
indication of what he was expecting.

Oh, well. Guess I’ll have to show him.
Payson liked that idea a lot. “Put the helmet

and jacket on, then get on,” he ordered firmly.

A shiver of anticipation worked its way

through Payson when Land immediately obeyed.
As he swung his leg over the bike and settled on
the tiny bitch seat behind Payson, Land asked, “Is
this safe?”

“Yup,” Payson replied grabbing Land’s arms

and pulling them around his waist and chest.
“Hang on tight.”

Once Land’s arms tightened, Payson put the

bike in gear and took off. Land yelped and pressed
closer. Payson grinned, feeling the guy’s dick
against the small of his back. Still hard. Good.

Mindful that his passenger was human, Payson

kept  to  only  ten  over  the  speed  limit.  He  wound
through  the  streets  until  he  came  to  the  gated
community  where  he  and  his  gang  had  rented  a

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mansion.  They  didn’t  know  how  long  it  would
take  for  Kontra’s  mate,  Tim,  to  grow  stronger  in
his magick powers. Tim had inherited them from
his  deceased  mother  once  he  and  Kontra  had
mated.  Then  Tim  had  received  a  note  from  a
warlock  named  Draven  claiming  that  he’ll  be  his
mentor once Tim’s abilities grew powerful enough
to find him. Payson knew it had something to do
with  the  premonitions  Tim  occasionally  had.
Draven gave them a head start, telling them to go
to San Francisco, so here they were.

Pulling into a driveway, which was also gated,

Payson  paused  at  the  stand  and  punched  in  a
code.  The  gates  swung  open on  silent  hinges.  He
gunned  his  engine  and  roared  through,  then
pressed a button on a box affixed to his handlebars
and one of the seven garage doors swung open.

Once inside, he pushed it again, sinking them

into near darkness, until the door closed and low
wattage  running  lights  flipped  on  around  them.
The  auto  lights  were  meant  to  allow  someone  to
safely  get  out  of  the  vehicle  and  to  the  door.  If
someone was actually going to work in the garage,
there were massive overhead lights over each bay
that would illuminate the area as bright as day.

But that wasn’t what Payson wanted, he

wanted mellow mood lighting, and this was
perfect. Using shifter agility, he carefully
maneuvered until he’d turned around on the bike,

In the Eyes Of Crazy

facing Land. He eased the helmet off the man’s
head and the jacket off his shoulders, putting them
both on the ground next to the bike.

Land was staring at him with wide eyes. “You

live here?”

“For the time being,” Payson replied, not

interested in explaining his nomadic lifestyle right
then. “Come here.” He couldn’t hide the growl in
his words as his excitement built. Time to

implement my plan.

Payson slipped his hand around Land’s slender

waist and pulled him forward, practically spilling
the rather uncoordinated man onto his lap. Perfect!
Sliding his arms around Land’s back, Payson
cupped his head and urged it even further down
so he could capture the man’s lips.

Leaning against the tank of his bike, Payson

enjoyed having the human sprawled on top of him
as he explored Land’s mouth. He tasted faintly of
mint, probably from toothpaste or gum, and under
that  was  male  and  some  natural  ginger  spice.
Payson  growled,  wanting  more.  He  delved  his
tongue  deep,  twining  it  with  Land’s,  getting  a
whimper and shudder from Land for his effort.

He planted his feet on the ground for leverage

and  rocked  his  hips  up,  rubbing  his  erection
against  Land’s  trapped  rod.  Land  moaned  and
jerked. Payson ended the kiss and tilted his head
so  he  could  see  his  human’s  face.  He  continued

Charlie Richards

rocking his hips, enjoying the friction and mewls
of pleasure coming from his soon-to-be lover.

The flush of arousal made Land’s cheeks glow

in the low lights. His heavily lidded eyes were out
of focus as he panted through slightly parted lips.
Land’s grip on Payson’s shoulders tightened then
relaxed.

All the signs pointed to Land’s imminent

orgasm, and Payson really wanted to see that. He
wanted  to  cause  this  human  to  fall  apart  in  his
arms. He palmed Land’s globes and squeezed the
mounds.  That  got  a  very  nice  little  gasp  from
Land.  Payson  grinned.  On  his  next  thrust  up,  he
pulled  Land’s  ass  down,  making  the  friction
harder, more urgent.

Land squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered,

“Wait…oh…I…ugh!”

Payson watched with satisfaction as Land’s jaw

sagged open, his eyes rolled into the back of his
head, and his body tensed, then jerked. Land let
out a long, low keening sound and the scent of his
cum filled the air.

The sights, sounds, and smells went straight to

Payson’s balls, pulling them tight to his body.
Shock filled him when he realized it’d take very
little for him to come, too. Never one to deny his
pleasure, Payson rocked up once, twice more and
let out a grunt of satisfaction as his dick unloaded.

As bliss pinged through his system, he lounged

In the Eyes Of Crazy

against his bike’s tank and hummed. After a good
thirty  seconds,  Payson  finally  pulled  himself
together enough to nuzzle Land’s neck and stroke
his  palms  down  his  lover’s  back.  “Mm,  that  was
nice,”  Payson  murmured  against  Land’s  sweat-
dampened  temple.  “Let’s  go  in  and  I’ll  get  those
strawberries I promised you.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Three

and followed Payson into the house. House, ha!

This is a fucking mansion! Who on earth is this
Payson guy? And why am I going along with

whatever he says like a puppy following his master? He
couldn’t believe he’d actually texted his sister and
told her he was ditching with a guy. And before
his first drink, even!

Payson stopped in a kitchen that was large

enough to feed an army. Surprisingly, it had a
lived in feel. There were a couple of dirty coffee
mugs in the sink, crumbs near the toaster, and the
glass coffee carafe was half full.

“Coming in your pants isn’t real comfortable.

Do  you  want  me  to  get  you  a  pair  of  sweats  to
change  into  or  do  you  prefer  your  lover  to  clean
you up?” Payson asked, giving him a quick glance
before opening a pantry and pulling out a bottle of
white  rum.  From  the  refrigerator,  he  grabbed  a
bottle of club soda and a covered bowl.

“Uh,” Land’s brain shut down. Exactly how

In the Eyes Of Crazy

experienced was Payson to just say that as if it
were nothing.

At his unintelligible sound, Payson finally

looked at him fully. Payson smiled, and to Land’s
surprise, it wasn’t mocking in the least. In fact, it
actually looked heated, like Payson wanted to go
another round. Land’s penis twitched, as if it too
wanted to play again.

“Oh, I think I’ll clean you myself,” Payson

crooned, his eyelids dropping to half-mast in a
look that almost appeared feral. “Let me just get a
few things.”

Land stood rooted to the spot in shock. He

didn’t  understand  this  guy  at  all.  Was  this  how
hook-ups  normally  acted?  Maybe  he  should  let
Payson know he’d never done  this before. Before
he could come to a decision, Payson placed a pair
of tumblers on the counter full of a slightly green-
hued liquid.

“What’s this?” he asked curiously, reaching for

the beverage.

“Mojitos,” Payson replied. “They’re one of my

favorites,” he added with a wink. “If you don’t
like it, I know a few others. Try it.”

Picking up the drink, Land watched a number

of  mint  leaves  swirl  around  a  lime  wedge.  He
eyed  Payson  as  the  redhead  took  a  large  swig  of
the  drink  then  licked  his  lips  and  hummed
happily.  Land  noticed  Payson  seemed  to  do  that

Charlie Richards

often when he was happy. It was a good indicator,
telling Land his one night stand was a pretty
happy-go-lucky guy.

He took a sip of the drink and rolled it around

on his tongue. The club soda mellowed the
sharpness of the rum. They mixed with the other
flavors to create a smooth tangy drink.

“Mm, that’s good,” he commented, taking

another, larger swallow.

“Glad you like it. Head down the hall and go

through the arched doorway. It’s a media room.
Have a seat wherever and I’ll be there in a sec. I’m
just gonna grab a few things.”

Land nodded and headed in the direction

Payson pointed. The mansion appeared to be done
in  subtle,  earthy  tones,  which  downplayed  the
wealth  of  the  place  nicely.  He  found  the  arched
doorway  and  went  inside,  letting  out  a  low
whistle.  Payson’s  idea  of  a  media  room  looked  a
lot like a game or rec room to Land. Yes, there was
a  massive  TV  hung  on  the  far  wall  with  several
leather  sofas  clustered  around  it,  but  there  was
also  a  bar,  a  pool  table,  and  a  foosball  table.  The
question of who  Payson really  was again  crossed
his  mind.  Land  dismissed  it.  It  didn’t  really
matter.  He’d  go  home  in  the  morning  and  never
see the dude again.

Land felt his phone vibrate against his hip.

Setting his drink on an end table, he pulled it out

In the Eyes Of Crazy

and sat down on a couch. He lifted a brow at the
plush cushion under his butt. “Nice,” he muttered,
lowering his gaze to his display.

Three texts from Larissa.
He quickly pulled up the first one. He frowned

upon seeing the words. How the hell could you leave
with that ass-hat? He’s a player of the worst sort. And

he’s straight!

How did Larissa know Payson was straight? He

didn’t act straight or kiss like a straight man. And
he sure didn’t have any problem making lewd
remarks and acting like he planned to screw him.
He promised pleasure. Straight men didn’t do
that, did they? Maybe Payson was bi.

He wasn’t certain he even wanted to see the

next two, but figured he shouldn’t ignore his only
living relative. The next text read—Even if Payson

is bisexual, he still wouldn’t be good for a first
experience. You need someone patient and

understanding. Tell me where you are and I’ll come
pick you up.

Land frowned. That didn’t make sense either.

Payson had been nothing but patient and
understanding. Blunt and straightforward, but
still patient.

Finally—Land?
Thinking quickly, which seemed to be easy

without Payson actually in the room, Land
decided what to say. I’m fine. I’ll call you tomorrow.

Charlie Richards

Then he switched his phone to silent and placed it
on  the  end  table.  He  knew  his  sister  would  be
pissed about the dismissal, but he wanted to enjoy
his evening, and fielding her calls would only ruin
the  atmosphere  Payson  seemed  to  be  trying  to
create,  if  the  sound  of  Frank  Sinatra’s  crooning
over the sound system was any indicator.

Land smiled around the rim of his tumbler then

took  another  sip  of  his  mojito.  Payson  was  really
being  sweet.  Payson  appeared  a  moment  later,
carrying  a  bowl  of  strawberries  in  one  hand,  his
cup  in  the  other,  and  a  bottle  of  chocolate  sauce
under  one  arm.  He  put  everything  on  the  end
table then pushed the coffee table over a foot so he
could kneel at Land’s feet.

“Payson?” Land said uncertainly when Payson

placed his hands on his thighs, dangerously close
to his groin. Land couldn’t believe he was getting
hard again, but seeing this muscular, sexy man
before him affected him greatly.

Grinning up at him, Payson murmured, “I

promised you more pleasure than alcohol could
give you, and I always deliver on my promises,
Land. Just relax with your drink and I’ll take care
of everything.”

“O-okay,” he replied.
Land let his legs fall open when Payson

pushed. His breath caught when Payson
immediately went for his button and zipper. He

In the Eyes Of Crazy

just rested his hands there for a second, using his
thumbs to massage the bulge of Land’s growing
dick. Land fought back a shiver from the contact,
desperately hanging on to enough control to keep
from rocking his hips.

Finally, Payson opened Land’s pants with one

hand,  while  reaching  over  and  grabbing  a
strawberry  with  his  other.  He  held  it  to  Land’s
lips. Land opened and bit into the fruit, trying to
concentrate  enough  to  chew  the  sweet  berry.
Payson placed the stem on a saucer and returned
his  hand  to  Land’s  now  open  pants.  As  he
encouraged Land to lift his hips so he could slide
them  down,  Payson  leaned  forward  and  swiped
his tongue across Land’s chin and caught a dribble
of strawberry juice.

Next, Payson sipped several butterfly kisses

from  Land’s  panting  lips.  Every  touch,  every
scrape  of  a  calloused  thumb  or  brush  of  his  firm
lips  seemed  to  set  Land’s  nerves  on  end.  He
fought back a shiver.

Payson straightened and worked Land’s pants

all  the  way  off,  taking  his  shoes  and  socks  with
them.  Cool  air  on  his  shaft  made  Land  moan
softly.  Lying  there  naked  from  the  waist  down
with a handsome man staring hungrily at him, for
the first time in Land’s life, he felt sexy.

Payson hummed and stroked his hands up

Land’s thighs lightly. “So pretty,” Payson

Charlie Richards

murmured. “Time to clean you up.”

Before Land could think of something to say,

Payson grabbed the chocolate sauce and drizzled
it over his cock. Land whimpered, his dick flexing
from the chill of the thick liquid. Then Payson
leaned over and swiped his tongue up the pulsing
vein running the length of his dick. Land moaned,
enjoying the wild sparks caused by his dick going
from cold to hot in seconds.

He clutched at the leather sofa cushion, trying

to control his urge to pump his hips. Land might
be a virgin to full on sex, but he’d had a couple
blow-jobs before. Never had they felt like this. He
worried he’d come just from Payson lapping at the
chocolate on his shaft.

“Payson,” he whined, when his lover swiped

his tongue over his glans and delved into the slit.
“Oh, my goodness,” he groaned, his hips
twitching.

Watching from beneath his lashes, Payson met

Land’s gaze then took his cock-head into his
mouth and sucked, hard. Land’s eyes widened as
he stared down at the sexy man sucking his cock.
His balls pulled tight at the sight and his control
snapped. His hips bucked, and he thrust upward,
sending his dick into Payson’s hot, wet mouth as
fast as he could.

Payson hummed. The vibrations shot down his

stalk to his testicles. Pleasure-pain tore through

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Land and he screamed as his release bowled over
him. Heady endorphins from his orgasm rolled
across him like waves lapping at the sand, slowly
easing away on an outgoing tide.

Land lay panting. He thought maybe he should

feel bad for not warning Payson that he was about
to  come,  but  he  figured  Payson  didn’t  care, since
the  man  was  still  lapping  at  his  dick.  The  gentle
ministrations  sent  soft  sparks  through  Land’s
system as Payson cleaned up the last bits of cum
and  chocolate  as  if  it  were  the  best  treat  in  the
world.

What finally roused Land out of his satisfied

lounging was the gentle prodding of Payson’s
lubed finger at his anus. His eyes popped open
and he blurted out, “I’m a virgin.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Four

ayson froze at hearing his lover’s words, then
a shiver worked through him. A virgin. This

little human was giving him something he’d never
given another, would never give another. His cock
leaked in his pants, and he struggled to figure out
the best way of handling this. It had been decades
since Payson had been anyone’s first, and because
this man could very well be his mate, he wanted
to make it memorable.

Land would probably benefit from having

something else to focus on instead of the pain of
the prep work, too.

Taking a calming breath, Payson caressed his

lover’s opening again. “Have you ever played
with yourself? Put anything in here?”

Payson watched a blushing Land nod. The

human licked his lips before admitting, “M-my
finger and, um.” His flush deepened. “A butt
plug.”

Grinning, Payson murmured, “I bet you look

In the Eyes Of Crazy

sexy with a plug peeking out from between your
cheeks.” He shivered at the visual. Still rubbing
the opening of the hole he desperately wanted to
plug, Payson said, “Since this is your first time,
how about we change how we do this, hmm?”

“Um, okay.”
“What kind of porn do you like?” Payson

asked, mentally running through a list of what he
knew was in the house. A number of his buddies
had a DVD or two, and Payson knew where all the
guys kept them. Along with his own considerable
collection, Payson was pretty certain he could find
something to fit his lover’s likes.

“What? Why?”
Payson grinned. He pressed harder, sliding just

the tip of his finger into Land’s channel. Land
hissed at the intrusion.

“To give you something enjoyable to focus on

while I bend you over, get you ready, and fill your
ass,” he told his lover bluntly.

Land’s cheeks couldn’t possibly turn any

redder. “O-okay,” he stuttered.

“Well?” Payson pressed. “What do you like?”

He slipped his finger out of Land’s hole and
massaged the muscle.

Land swallowed hard, then admitted, “M-men

in uniform.”

Payson hummed his pleasure. “I like it.” He

rocked back on his heels and stood. “Lose the shirt

Charlie Richards

and I’ll be right back.” He smacked his lover’s hip,
then hurried from the room. He found the DVD he
wanted and hustled back.

When he walked in, he found Land standing by

the couch, looking very uncertain, and holding his
shirt  in  front  of  his  groin.  Payson  would  have
reminded  Land  that  he’d  already  seen  his  dick,
but  figured  that  would  have  the  opposite  effect
when he really wanted to put him at ease.

Maybe if I’m naked, too, he thought, realizing he

still had all his clothes on.

First, he slipped the DVD into the player and

got it rolling. A man in a security uniform—gray
shirt, black slacks, a black cap, and a utility belt
complete with gun and nightstick—stood beside a
desk and chair.

Having seen it, numerous times, Payson knew

that  soon  a  shorter,  slender  man  all  in  black  and
holding  a  painting  would  come  streaking  across
the  screen.  The  security  guard  would  take  him
down, and the fun would begin.

He turned from the screen and grinned when

he  saw  Land’s  wide  eyes  fixed  on  the  screen.
Payson  pulled  his  shirt  over  his  head  then
dropped  it  on  a  couch  and  removed  his  boots.
When  he  stood  up,  he  realized  Land’s  focus  had
returned to him. Payson smiled, pleased.

Unbuttoning his fly, Payson let his erection

press the flaps apart. Land gasped, and Payson

In the Eyes Of Crazy

knew he’d caught sight of the piercings on his
dick. He didn’t normally care what lovers thought
about his fetish, but he had to admit, seeing the
fascinated expression on Land’s face was a relief.

“Did those hurt?” Land whispered, his gaze

locked on Payson’s cock as he slid the pants off
and kicked them aside.

Payson chortled as he stalked toward his lover.

“Only  in  the  best  possible  ways.  It  gives  me  and
my  partner  extra  stimulation,”  he  told  him.  He
grabbed Land’s shirt from his hand and tossed it
aside.  He  ignored  the  human’s  surprised  gasp,
gripped  his  hip  and  stepped  close  together.
Grabbing  both  their  cocks,  he  pressed  them
together and stroked.

Delicious tingles worked up and down his shaft

from where the Jacob’s Ladder and Prince  Albert
piercings  stimulated  him.  Land  moaned,  telling
Payson  how  much  he  enjoyed  the  extra  pressure
of  the  small  metal  balls  running  up  the  length  of
his dick, too.

“These will feel amazing pegging your gland,

lover,” Payson growled. His canines tingled,
startling him with the desire to let them extend so
he could sink them into Land’s neck.

Mate!
His hyena yipped excitedly in his mind.
Payson groaned, completely on the same page

with his animal. They’d make this human theirs,

Charlie Richards

and theirs alone. But his mate was a virgin, and
needed serious prep and care. Gritting his teeth,
Payson forced his body back a step. Land mewled
at the loss of sensation, testing Payson’s control.

Damn, it’d been so long since he hadn’t just

acted on instinct, but first he had to make certain
his  lover  was  ready—very,  very  ready.  Payson
wasn’t big by shifter standards, but he still sported
a  healthy,  thick  seven  and  a  half  inch  dick.  He’d
measured.

Using his grip on Land’s hip, and one on his

arm, Payson maneuvered Land around to the back
of the couch. “So you like uniforms,” he muttered.

Land moaned, his gaze returning to the men on

screen.  The  security  guard  had  the  thief  tied  to  a
wooden  chair  and  was  feeding  him  his  dick.  The
thief  sucked  enthusiastically  while  the  guard
egged him on.

Payson grabbed the lube and bent his mate over

the  back  of  the  couch.  He  used  a  foot  to  open
Land’s  stance,  then  felt  for  his  entrance  and
slipped  a  finger  inside.  Land  groaned  and
clenched. Payson wished he could feel that on his
bare dick, hating having to use a condom until he
explained things.

He leaned over Land and murmured into his

ear, “Should I get a uniform like that?” He slid his
finger in all the way and waited. Land made an
indistinct sound, but his chute relaxed a bit.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

“You’d  like  that,  wouldn’t  you,”  Payson
continued.  “I’ll  tie  you  to  a  chair,  or  maybe  my
bed, and feed you my dick.” He worked his finger
in and out, slowly at first, then picking up speed.
“I’ll  squat  over  your  face  and  feed  you  my  balls.
You’d  suck  ‘em  so  good,  wouldn’t  you,”  he
crooned.

Land whined and rocked back onto his finger.
Payson slid a second digit into Land.
The guard on the screen grunted, bucked his

hips, and came. The thief swallowed every drop of
his seed. The guard grabbed the thief’s hair, not
letting him pull away, and told him to keep
sucking until he was hard again.

A strangled noise escaped Land, and Payson

grinned.  “Like  that,  huh?”  He  slipped  a  third
finger  into  the  man’s  ass  as  he  tugged  Land’s
earlobe  with  his  teeth.  With  his  other  hand,  he
reached  around  and  fondled  Land’s  dick.  “You
hard  and  weeping  for  me  or  those  men?”  he
whispered.

He referred to how the security guard had

moved  the  thief  so  he  was  on  all  fours  over  the
very  painting  he’d  tried  to  steal.  The  guard  was
fucking the thief in slow, even strokes, telling him
how  he’d  never  get  money  for  the  painting  once
he was done with him.

“Y-you…how’d you kn-know?” Land stuttered.
“Know what?” Payson asked, while rolling a

Charlie Richards

condom on one handed. He stopped stroking
Land’s gland so he could answer.

Land looked over his shoulder at him, heat and

lust filling his blue eyes. “That I’ve dreamed of
being taken while watching porn.”

Wasn’t Fate brilliant? Payson grinned. “Because

I’ve always wanted to do it to someone.” He
didn’t add that he’d saved the experience for his
mate. Land wouldn’t understand that.

He gently rubbed Land’s gland once more,

refocusing his attention. Land bucked and
moaned, trying to rock back onto his fingers.

“Ready for me?” Payson asked. It was more a

rhetorical question, because even as he asked, he
eased his fingers out and lined up his dick.

He pushed in and the silky pressure of Land’s

walls surrounded him, clamped down on his
erection, and he heard his lover hiss, “Yesss.”

Payson didn’t stop until his balls nestled

against Land’s ass. Stilling his hips took a shit-
load of concentration, but he did it, even as his
hyena railed at him, wanting to take and claim his
mate, show Land who he belonged to.

Draped over Land’s back, Payson pressed

sucking  open-mouthed  kisses  up  and  down  his
neck.  He  listened  to  his  lover’s  panting  breaths,
waiting. Finally, after what felt like  forever, Land
whimpered and shifted beneath him, and Payson
knew his lover was ready for more.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

He started slow. Well, as slow as he could

manage,  pulling  out  until  his  crown  tugged  at
Land’s  ring,  then  pushed  back  into  the  man’s
body.  Payson’s  control  thinned.  He  shifted  his
hips,  and  his  next  stroke  made  Land  scream.
Noting  the  spot,  Payson  picked  up  his  pace  and
began pegging his lover’s gland with every stroke.

His balls drew tight. The tell-tale tingle vibrated

the  base  of  his  spine.  His  canines  descended  and
he  scraped  them  across  the  fleshy  part  of  Land’s
shoulder.  His  mate  moaned  and  shivered,  tilting
his neck as if to give him more access.

At the submissive move, Payson lost it. He

growled  his  excitement,  pounded  his  cock  into
Land  twice  more,  and  sank  his  teeth  into  his
mate’s  shoulder  while  flooding  the  condom  with
jet after jet of his seed.

Land screamed and jerked in his grip. His ass

clamped  down  on  Payson’s  cock,  forcing  another
stream  of  cum  from  him.  After  a  few  seconds,
Payson  carefully  extracted  his  canines  and  licked
the marks, sealing them, as he stroked his lover’s
chest and scraped a nail over his nipples. His mate
shuddered and panted in his arms. Payson smiled
absently, vowing to remember his mate’s sensitive
nipples for next round.

Payson pressed a kiss to the sensitive flesh

behind Land’s ear. A satisfied sigh escaped Land,
and Payson grinned. He rested his forehead

Charlie Richards

against the nape of Land’s neck, encouraging him
to stay in place while he reached down, gripped
the base of the condom, and carefully pulled out.

Holding the used condom in one hand, Payson

used the other to gently massage his mate’s tender
entrance. Land shivered and murmured, “Wow!”

Payson couldn’t have said it better himself.

“Come on, lover,” he encouraged, rubbing Land’s
back. “Let’s head upstairs. We’ll get cleaned up
and get some rest.”

He wrapped the condom in several tissues,

gathered  both  their  clothes,  then  returned  to  his
mate.  Land  was  just  straightening  up.  Payson
handed  Land  his  clothes,  then  wrapped  his  free
arm around the younger man and led him upstairs
to his suite of rooms.

A half hour later, after washing his nearly

comatose mate and tucking Land into bed, Payson
lay awake holding the human. He and his hyena
were in agreement. Now that Payson had found
him, he’d never let Land go. Which led Payson to
the all-important question—How can I convince my

mate that he’s meant to be with me?

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Chapter Five

and grunted and turned his head away from
the beam of sunlight. How on earth did I forget to

close  the blinds?  That’s  when  he  became  aware  of
the  arm  wrapped  around  his  waist  and  the  leg
thrown  over  his.  The  previous  night’s  activities
came rushing back, and he barely held in a gasp as
the ache in his butt made itself known.

Then he grinned. He’d found a guy who

wanted him. Land wasn’t foolish enough to think
Payson  would  want  him  to  stick  around,  and  he
didn’t want to worry about the awkward morning
after.  But  for  one  night  of  fun,  this  sexy  guy  had
wanted  him.  Land  did  a  mental  happy  dance.  It
gave him hope that he’d be able to find someone
who’d be willing to have a real relationship with
him, a permanent relationship.

As carefully as he could, Land maneuvered out

from  under  Payson’s  arm  and  leg.  At  first,  he
feared  he  wouldn’t  be  able  to  get  out  of  the
stronger  man’s  grip,  but  finally  he  managed.  He

Charlie Richards

let out a silent sigh and took a second to stare
down at the sexy man who’d granted several
fantasies.

Thinking of the sex in front of the porn video

and the chocolate blow job, Land’s morning wood
thickened. He shook his head and turned away.
Grabbing his clothes, Land slipped into the
bathroom. After relieving himself, he found some
toothpaste and swished it around his mouth. Then
he got dressed.

Land opened the door and peeked out. Relief

filled him when he saw Payson hadn’t moved.
When he got to the door, he paused and looked
wistfully over his shoulder. Too bad it couldn’t be
more than a one night stand.

Shutting down those thoughts, Land crept

down the hall. He patted his pockets and paused,
trying to remember what happened to his phone.
“Media room,” he muttered. “Right.”

Moving quickly through the house, Land

paused once when he thought he heard voices. But
then the sound was gone and he dismissed it. As
he  strode  passed  the  pool  table,  Land  wondered
how  many  people  actually  lived  there.  Since  the
food was gone, Land  assumed either Payson had
returned to clean it up or he had maids. He smiled
and shook his head. How’d it be?

He didn’t see his phone on the end table.

Thinking maybe it’d fallen to the floor sometime

In the Eyes Of Crazy

during their…activities, he dropped to his knees
and checked under first one couch, then another.

“You wouldn’t be looking for this, would you?”
At the sound of the deep voice, Land slammed

his head on the coffee table he was looking under
and groaned. He backed up and got to his knees,
rubbing his head.

“Ah, shit, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to

startle you,” the man said as he strode closer.

“It’s fine,” Land muttered. He eyed the man

warily,  wondering  what  would  happen  now  that
he’d been caught. The guy was big, really big. As
he  rose  to  his  feet,  Land  realized  the  blond  man
stood a good couple of inches taller than him and
had  at  least  fifty  added  pounds  of  muscle.  He
shifted from foot to foot uneasily. If the blond was
offended by Land being in his home, would he hit
him?

“I’m Adam. Adam Kingston. Our roomie,

Yuma,  found  this  while  cleaning  up  this
morning,”  Adam  said,  holding  out  his  phone.
“Man,  I  don’t  envy  you,”  he  added,  snickering.
“You’ve  pissed  someone  off.  You  have  about  a
million texts. Hope you don’t have a cap on how
many you can receive.”

“I don’t,” Land replied, taking the phone. A

glance down showed fifty-three texts. All from his
sister. He groaned. “I so don’t want to deal with
her,” he muttered, wondering how long he could

Charlie Richards

put off calling her.

Land nearly jumped out of his skin when Adam

put  a  hand  on  his  shoulder  and  started  steering
him  toward  the  door.  “Relax,”  Adam  said,
chuckling. “The least I can do is get you  a cup of
coffee and some ice for that head.”

“I was really just going to call a cab,” he

objected,  though  he  followed  Adam’s  guiding
hand through the house to the kitchen. “I’m sorry
about  the  mess,”  he  added,  what  Adam  said
finally  sinking  in.  Someone  else,  someone  named
Yuma,  had  cleaned  up  the  mess  he  and  Payson
had left behind. His face heated as blood roared in
his ears. How embarrassing!

Adam laughed. “Don’t worry about it.” He

handed Land a bag of frozen vegetables and a cup
of  coffee.  “Head  into  the  dining  room,  there,”  he
said  pointing  through  yet  another  arch.  “There’s
milk,  creamer,  and  sugar  on  the  table  for  the
coffee.  I’ll  be  there  in  a  few  minutes  with  some
breakfast.”

“But…” Land froze in the archway, realizing

the dining room was occupied.

Three men sat around the table. The man at the

head  was,  for  lack  of  a  better  word,  huge.  Thick
dark hair, with silver oddly mixed in, hung to his
shoulders.  He  had  the  same  flecks  in  his  goatee.
There were Celtic tattoos running down  his right
arm.  He  wore  a  green  t-shirt,  and  Land  could

In the Eyes Of Crazy

make out more color around the edges of the
neckline. The man watched him with cool dark
eyes.

The second man he recognized from the bar

only because he remembered the scar bisecting his
cheek. The guy buzzed his dark brown hair close
to his scalp, had a square jaw, and used light
brown eyes to sweep an assessing gaze over Land.

The third man was more slender than the other

two, but was still far more muscular than Land
could ever hope to be. He wore his brown hair
shaggy and had hazel eyes in a more rounded face
and offered Land a smile.

Are all these men brothers? No. That can’t be right.

Unless they’re maybe half siblings?

It clicked. He’d stumbled into the den of the

biker gang. Did they know Payson was gay, or at
least bisexual? Am I about to get my ass kicked?

Fear of being alone with a bunch of strangers

made  him  back  a  step.  Using  the  coffee  mug  as
cover,  he  punched  in  the  place’s  address  to
Larissa, just in case. Land looked around, trying to
figure  out  the  way  to  the  front  door.  Except,  he
hadn’t come in that  way and with the size of the
house, he had no clue. A hand on Land’s shoulder
made him jump about a foot, spilling  coffee over
his hand. Good thing it wasn’t scalding.

“Whoa! Easy, man,” Adam said, lifting his

hand, palm out, in a sign of peace. “Skittish little

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thing, ain’t ya? No one’s going to hurt you here.”
Adam touched the small of Land’s back and urged
him forward. “Have a seat and eat. I’m sure
Payson won’t be too long. He’s never been a late
sleeper.”

An irrational spike of jealousy hit Land because

this man knew more about Payson than he did,
which was completely ridiculous because they
were obviously roommates and he was a one night
stand. A one night stand that needed to leave.

“I really need to go,” he said.
“Stay for breakfast,” the man seated at the head

of the table said in a deep, gruff voice.

Land knew an order when he heard one. He

slowly took his seat and set the bag of peas on the
table.  Adam  placed  the  plate  of  food  in  front  of
him,  then  pushed  the  cream  and  sugar  toward
him. To his surprise, the big blond yanked a hand
towel  off  his  shoulder,  wrapped  it  around  the
peas, and held them to his head.

“You really don’t have to do that,” Land said,

piling the scrambled eggs and bacon onto his toast
to make a sandwich. The sooner he could get out
of there, the better. He took a bite. Oh, that’s so
good! “What are in these eggs?” he asked after
swallowing.

Adam chuckled. “A little milk and cheese,

diced green peppers, and some secret spices all
my own,” he said, winking. “And, yeah, I do have

In the Eyes Of Crazy

to do this. If Payson found out I’d hurt you, even
by accident, he’d try to rip me a new one.” The
words were accompanied by an eye-roll and an
exaggerated shiver.

Land chewed and swallowed before letting out

his  snort  of  disbelief.  “Right.  Like  anyone  cares
that much for a one night stand.” He polished off
the last bite, then swallowed a sip of coffee. Good
brand,  dark  rich  and  strong,  it  didn’t  even  need
milk  or  sugar.  “I’m  sure  Payson  doesn’t  really
want to see me this morning,” he said, setting his
now empty cup aside. “I really ought to go.”

A look passed between the four men, the group

clearly  communicating  without  words  as  only
good friends or family could do. Adam once more
put  a  hand  to  his  shoulder  and  moved  his  shirt
aside,  again  looking  at  the  big  guy  on  the  end.
“This says differently.”

Suddenly uncomfortable, Land shrugged. “It’s

a fetish. Nothing wrong with that. Payson didn’t
abuse me or anything,” he defended.

“We know,” Adam replied, sounding almost

kind. He again looked at the big guy, as if looking
for guidance. “I suppose we have a lot of
explaining—”

The growl of an animal grabbed Land’s

attention,  and  he  jerked  his  gaze  to  the  second
doorway  to  the  room.  He’d  noticed  it  led  to  a
living  room,  but  right  then,  what  caught  his

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attention was the large, snarling animal standing
in the doorway. The beast’s gray eyes seemed
fixed on him and Adam.

Land leaped to his feet and stumbled back a

step, then the memory of reading something
saying never run from predators made him freeze.
Adam lifted his hands, palms out in placation.

“Payson, back off. I wasn’t doin’ anything and

you know it,” Adam said softly.

Frowning, Land chanced a glance around. He

didn’t see Payson.

The animal prowled forward a step, his head

low, his fangs bared. Was that a hyena? It stood
nearly four feet at the shoulder and around six feet
in length and had greyish-brown fur with reddish
spots. He’d never seen one except on TV, but that
definitely looked like a hyena. What the heck was
it doing in a house in San Francisco?

Adam scowled. “I’m not going to warn you

again, Payson. All I did was give him ice for his
head and breakfast, just like I’d do with any other
mate. You need to calm down. We have a lot of
explaining to do as it is.”

The hyena gave a yipping snarl, then leaped at

Adam. Land never claimed to be brave, and took
the opportunity to run to the other side of the
table. When he turned around, his jaw dropped in
shock. Adam was nowhere to be seen, but a
massive white tiger grappled with the hyena.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

The big goateed man stalked around the table

and grabbed the hyena by the scruff in one huge
hand. He actually shook the animal as if it were a
recalcitrant pup. “Enough,” the man roared,
sounding surprisingly like an animal himself.
“Shift, now. You’ve done enough fucking damage.
You want your mate scared of you?”

The hyena went boneless in the man’s grip,

which  was  weird  enough.  What  happened  next
made  Land  grab  the  back  of  the  nearest  chair  to
keep from collapsing. Once put down, the hyena’s
body shuddered. Then a rapid twitching started at
the base of his spine, worked through his legs, and
finally  up  to  his  head.  The  sound  of  muscles
popping,  bones  cracking,  and  tendons  snapping
filled the room, causing bile to rise in the back of
Land’s  throat.  It  sounded  painful,  whatever  was
happening, and his stomach threatened to lose the
wonderful breakfast he’d just eaten.

The fur disappeared, limbs lengthened, the tail

disappeared, and the head reshaped. It all
happened quickly, and in less than a minute,
Payson crouched on the floor.

“Oh my god,” Land whispered. “What the fuck

is going on?” He didn’t cuss much, but this
situation certainly called for it.

Payson gave him the most hang-dog look Land

had ever seen on a human. Payson took a step
toward him. Land tightened his grip on the chair

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as  his  breathing  sped  up.  Payson  stopped  and
hung  his  head.  Looking  at  Land  through  his
lashes,  Payson  murmured,  “I  didn’t  mean  to.  I
woke  up  alone,  and  when  I  came  down,  Adam
was leaning over you, and all I could think about
was getting him away from you.” Payson shoved
his  hand  through  his  short  red  hair  and  started
pacing,  muttering  under  his  breath  and  shaking
his head.

The uncertainty and frustration—and was that

fear—looked completely out of place on Land’s
naked lover. The agitated movements expressed
how worked up Payson truly was.

Land knew he was completely out of his league

on this one. Yes, he’d seen some  True TV footage
on  the  net  that  showed  all  sorts  of  crazy  things
from  vampires  to  aliens,  but  he’d  always
dismissed  them  as  fabricated.  What  had  just
happened  before  his  very  eyes  threw  everything
he’d ever believed into question.

He grew light-headed and his knees threatened

to buckle. Someone, he thought the man with the
scar, wrapped an arm around him and helped him
to  a  chair.  Land’s  head  was  pushed  between  his
knees  and  someone  kept  telling  him  to  breathe.
Finally,  the  spots  dancing  on  the  edges  of  his
vision faded.

Lifting his head slowly, Land looked around

the room. The tiger was gone. A few men he

In the Eyes Of Crazy

hadn’t seen yet stood in the doorways watching
him with expressions ranging from alarm, to
wariness, to compassion.

Payson, now wearing faded blue sweatpants,

stood a few feet away. He clenched and
unclenched his hands, and stared at him with such
longing Land just didn’t understand why. Maybe
if he had more experience, he could figure it out,
but he didn’t.

“I need…” he paused and swallowed, trying to

get moisture to his suddenly dry throat. “I need
someone to tell me what the hell is going on.”

The guy who’d shaken the hyena like a rag

doll—how could someone be that strong?—rested
his hands on the table and leaned forward. “My
name is Kontra Belikov. The man who helped you
to a seat is Sam Abbott.” He switched his gaze to a
tall slender man standing next to Land. “That is
Eli Raetz. He’s our resident doctor.”

Blowing out a breath and straightening, Kontra

waved a hand to encompass the others peering in
at  him.  “These  are  my  pack.  We  are  shifters.  As
you  saw,  Adam  turns  into  a  white  tiger.  Payson
shares his spirit with a hyena.” He scowled at the
redhead  and  added,  “Usually  he  has  better
control,  but  there  seem  to  be  extenuating
circumstances.”

Land stared at the man, waiting for the punch

line, or the other shoe to drop, or his head to

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explode. Surely the guy, Kontra, hadn’t said they
were shifters. They didn’t really believe they
turned into animals, did they? “I want to go
home,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, Land. I can’t let that happen, yet,”

Kontra said flatly, as if holding someone against
their will was something that happened all the
time.

Oh, crap. Maybe it is!
Hugging himself, Land whispered, “Why not?

What are you going to do to me?”

“I promise we won’t hurt you.” It was Payson

who answered, making Land realize the man had
crept a number of feet closer.

“You promise?” Land asked tentatively,

latching  onto  the  flimsy  words.  Wait,  what  had
Payson  said  about  his  promises?  He  always  kept
them?  And  hadn’t  he  kept  the  one  he  made  last
night? And in spectacular fashion, too.

“What about the animals?” Land asked, unable

to actually make himself say hyena or tiger. That
was just too much of a stretch for his analytical
mind.

“We’ll never hurt you,” Payson said again, his

brows creasing, as if trying to understand why he
needed to repeat himself. By that time, Payson had
reached Land’s side and dropped gracefully to his
knees next to the chair. “You’re everything to me,”
he whispered, touching the pads of his fingers to

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Land’s lips.

Land gasped at the soft caress, so different from

the heated aggression Payson had shown the night
before, but he still really liked it. To his
embarrassment, Land’s shaft began to fill.

For a second, Payson’s eyes dilated slightly,

then he grimaced. “Fucking hell, you can’t smell
like that and expect me to focus,” he whined.

“S-smell like what?” Land whispered.
“Aroused,” Payson growled, before leaning

forward and crushing their lips together in a
bruising kiss.

Land’s dick filled the rest of the way and he

whimpered into the kiss. Payson cupped his head
and probed deep, sweeping his tongue into Land’s
mouth. As Payson plundered, caressed, and
nipped, Land tried to remember why he should be
trying to leave.

“Payson,” snapped a deep, gravelly voice. “You

need to explain things first.”

Right, that’s why. One—they weren’t alone.

Two—some of these guys could turn into wild
animals. Land couldn’t remember three as Payson
broke the kiss and sucked on his earlobe, sending
delicious tingles straight to his cock.

“Payson!” Kontra snapped again.
Huffing in obvious irritation, Payson rocked

back on his heels. “Fine,” he muttered. Payson
stared Land in the eye and said, “I’m a shifter. I

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turn into a hyena. Even when I’m an animal, I’m
perfectly  capable  of  rational  thought  just  like  a
human, and I remember who everyone is. You are
my  mate,  the  other  half  of  my  soul.  I’ve  been
searching  for  you  for  decades.  We’ll  bond  by
having sex without a condom. I’ll devote myself to
your  pleasure,  safety,  and  happiness.  We’ll  have
mind-blowing,  fantastic  sex  as  often  as  possible.”
Payson  looked  at  Kontra.  “Did  I  cover
everything?”

“I’m sorry. Wait. What?” Land squeaked, his

mind again reeling.

Sam chuckled, the sound deep and gruff.

“Maybe you should try that again, Payson. A little
slower this time.”

“Why don’t we all go sit in the living room?”

said a muscular guy with sandy brown hair.

Land didn’t know how many times his mind

could be blown in the course of an hour, but it
surprised the crap out of him to see the guy walk
right up to Kontra, tuck himself close, and angle
for a kiss, which the big biker gave, with relish, if
the tongue action was any indicator.

“You’re gay?” he whispered. He sure hadn’t

seen that one coming.

“We all are. Or at least, mostly. Some of us have

bedded a woman or two,” Eli stated from over his
shoulder. His smile, however, was focused on a
small African American who strode over carrying

In the Eyes Of Crazy

a mug, which he offered to Land.

“I’m Sam Bailey. I turn into a wolf. I thought

maybe you’d like some tea,” he said, smiling
sweetly as he held out the mug.

“Uh, thank you,” Land replied, absently taking

it. A wolf?

“That was nice of you, my sweet,” Eli

murmured, leaning down to kiss Sam.

“Are you all shifters?” Land blurted before he

could think better of the question.

“No, I’m human. My name’s Ben,” said a short,

slender blond being held by a broad-shouldered
African American with dreadlocks. “So is
Hunter,” he said, pointing at the guy who’d been
sitting at the table earlier.

Now Hunter held a small man in his lap, a guy

with frosted-tipped black hair as well as eyeliner.
Land  had  never  thought  makeup  on  a  man  was
sexy, but the little guy pulled it off nicely. Seeing
his gaze focused on him, the man smiled and said,
“I’m  Yuma.  Not  all  of  us  turn  into  a  predator
either.  My  animal  is  a  penguin.  Lamar’s  is  a
peacock.”

Yuma pointed at a short blond holding a cup of

coffee.

The

man

lifted

his

cup

acknowledgement before taking a sip.

“This is so surreal,” Land murmured. He could

just feel his brain on information overload.
Payson’s hand on his back, smoothing in slow

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circles, finally broke into his consciousness. It was
then he realized he actually leaned against Payson,
taking comfort from the man.

Going through and cataloguing everything

Payson had run through, Land decided some
things were more important than others. “What
does it mean that I’m your mate?”

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Chapter Six

ayson cocked his head. Hadn’t he already
answered that? What was his mate looking

for? Taking his alpha-mate, Tim’s advice, Payson
urged Land to his feet and led him into the nearby
living room.

He looked over his shoulder and eyed the

group of men, his gaze fleetingly coming to rest on
Adam.  I’m sorry,  he  mouthed.  Adam  gave  him  a
two-fingered  salute  and  a  smile.  Relief  flooded
Payson that his buddy wasn’t angry. He’d tried to
calm  down,  when  he’d  seen  Adam  sitting  close
and holding a bag of frozen vegetables to the back
of  his  mate’s  head.  Then  he’d  heard  Adam’s
comment about accidentally hurting Land and his
hyena  had  snapped.  The  only  thought  he’d  had
was  to  get  his  mate  as  far  away  from  the  shifter
who’d hurt him as he could. The fact that he was
taking  on  a  seven  hundred  pound  tiger  wasn’t
even  a  blip  on  his  radar.  Good  thing  Kontra  had
been there to shake some sense into him. At times,

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Payson needed that.

His gaze landed on Mutegi and Ben. Mutegi

was  a  warthog  shifter  who’d  mated  with  the
human,  Ben,  over  a  year  ago.  Maybe  they  could
help  him  explain  things  to  Land.  After  catching
Mutegi’s attention, Payson lifted a brow and tilted
his  head  toward  the  living  room,  silently
entreating his friend to join them.

Mutegi nodded, wrapped his arm around his

human, and followed.

Land chose a seat on the couch nearest the fire.

Payson settled next to him, pulling one leg under
him so he could turn and face his mate. The solid
presence of his alpha standing behind him gave
Payson courage.

He cupped his hands around both of Land’s

and looked into his human’s eyes. Payson tried to
formulate what he wanted to say, but it was hard.
He preferred action and kept getting lost in the
beautiful blue of Land’s eyes. He’d mounted his
lover from behind last time, and the desire to fuck
Land face to face surged through him. He wanted
to know how dark that blue became when Payson
drove Land out of his mind with passion.

“Payson, we are here to explain shifters and

mating,” Mutegi reminded him gently, breaking
into his lust-infused thoughts.

Sucking in a breath, Payson nodded. “Right.

Sorry. Mating. Uh.” He frowned. “I said you’re

In the Eyes Of Crazy

my  mate  and  you  wanted  to  know  what  that
means.”  Payson  cocked  his  head  and  sifted
through  his  scattered  mind.  Maybe  his  mate
needed background to understand. “Most shifters
need  a  pack  or  pride  or  family,  a  place  they  feel
accepted,  so  their  animal  side  feels  safe  and
happy.  For  their  human  side,  to  make  them  feel
happy, they search for a soul mate who completes
them and makes them feel at peace.”

Payson eyed his mate, wondering if he was

following. When no questions were forthcoming,
he continued. “Fate grants each shifter one soul
mate. I don’t know how she decides,” he mused.

He opened his mouth to give his opinion on

how he thought Fate decided, but Mutegi cleared
his throat and said, “Many shifters go their entire
life without finding that special someone, Land. If
we do find them, we devote our lives to pleasing
that person.” Mutegi gave Ben a fond smile. “We
want our mate happy, in and out of bed.”

Returning his focus to Land, Mutegi added,

“Turning into an animal is an advantage, because
it gives us increased strength and senses, allowing
us to take better care of our mate.”

“So, you don’t actually choose your mate.

Someone else does?” Land asked, frowning.

Payson didn’t like that look on his lover. He

wished he knew how to explain it better.

“Think of it more like…a really good

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matchmaking  service,” Ben interjected. “Someone
takes your likes and dislikes, what you’re looking
for  in  a  partner,  and  finds  that  person  for  you.”
Mutegi’s  mate  gave  Land  an  encouraging  smile.
“Then  add  in  the  fact  that  there’s  no  chance  of
cheating  and  your  lover  always  wants  you  safe,
happy,  and  well  cared  for,  plus  the  sex  really  is
phenomenal,” he tacked on, giving his own lover
a lascivious wink.

Mutegi snorted. “Behave,” he muttered, kissing

Ben’s cheek.

“Where’s the fun in that,” Ben teased right

back.

Payson wondered if he and Land would ever

get  to  that  point,  being  easy  with  each  other  and
their  relationship.  Alone,  last  night,  it  had  been
that  way.  Yes,  Land  had  been  nervous,  but  that
was due to being a virgin. By the end of the night,
Land  had  been  relaxed  and  satiated.  Payson
wanted that again.

Land slowly nodded. “I’m assuming there will

be drawbacks?” he asked warily.

“If you have a lot of family, yeah,” Ben

answered  honestly.  “Shifters  live  for  several
hundred  years,  and  once  you  mate  with  Payson
your  aging  will  slow  to  match  his.  You’ll  outlive
family and friends.”

Payson liked how Ben didn’t make it sound like

an option not to.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

“The only family I have is my sister,” Land

admitted. “My parents died a couple of years
ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Payson murmured, because he

knew he should. “My parents sold me to scientists
who did experiments on me.”

“What?” Land gasped, his eyes growing wide.
Payson went over what he’d said. Right, most

people, human or shifter, didn’t quite have a
history like that. He shrugged. “It’s not like I can
change it. I’ve moved on.”

“But they sold you?” Land asked, clearly

outraged.

Sighing, Payson thought maybe he should have

kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want pity from his
mate. Needing to move, Payson leaped to his feet
and started pacing. He leveled a glare at the lush
carpet  under  his  feet.  “My  dad  was  a  great  guy.
Showered me with love, so I know what love is,”
he  muttered.  “He  died  when  I  was  seven.  My
mom remarried. At first, he was pretty ambiguous
about me. As long as  I  stayed out of the way, he
didn’t  care  that  mom  had  a  kid  ’cause  she  had
money. But then I shifted for the first time…” His
voice trailed off, his feet stopped moving, and he
cocked his head as memories assaulted him.

Beatings. Chains. Being locked in his room on

the full moon, though he never actually shifted
around that time. “He wasn’t very good with

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money,” Payson murmured, frowning at nothing.
“He made some bad investment choices. When the
guy found out he could make money from selling
a freak like me, he did it.”

Payson sucked in a long breath and resumed

his pacing again. He didn’t want to tell the rest of
the story. It hurt. Everything about his time there
hurt. Shaking his head, Payson grumbled under
his breath about the pain and shock therapy and
ice baths and needles.

Turning for another pass across the carpet,

Payson nearly bowled his mate down. He realized
his human was tougher than he looked. Land
wrapped his arms around Payson’s waist, rested
his chin on his shoulder, and held tight.

“You’re not there anymore,” he murmured into

Payson’s ear. “You’re here, with me, with your
friends. Nothing can hurt you now.”

The agitation drained from Payson’s body as he

breathed in Land’s scent, felt him nuzzle his neck.
Payson hummed. “Yeah.” He shivered upon
feeling the soft lips pressing kisses along his neck.

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here,”

Land continued, his words slightly muffled by
skin. “But you’re just fine, right?”

Letting out a long breath, Payson smiled and

did some nuzzling of his own. “With you in my
arms, I’m perfect,” he whispered.

“Good,” Land replied.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Before he could do anything more, Eli appeared

in the doorway and cleared his throat.

“Yes, Eli?” Kontra asked quietly.
“The tattooist is here,” Eli stated. “Where

would you like him sent?”

“The salon. He can set up on the sideboard,”

Kontra responded.

Payson was aware that Eli disappeared, but he

had no desire to rouse from the nice cocoon of
sanctuary created by his mate’s arms.
Unfortunately, his alpha didn’t give him a choice.
Kontra stepped forward and demanded his mate’s
attention.

“Land, do you see now why you need to

remain  here  until  you  are  calm  enough  to  accept
why  secrecy  is  best.  There  are  those  who  don’t
accept  people  who  are  different,”  Kontra  stated.
“Anonymity is a shifter’s ally.”

Easing away, Land didn’t let go of Payson

completely, for which he was grateful. “I
understand. I’d never want anything to happen
to…well, any of you.”

Payson couldn’t hide his smile at Land’s

sweetness.

“Good. Because I’m Payson’s alpha, I now have

to ask if you plan to allow Payson to claim you.”
Before Land could say anything, Kontra held up a
hand. “Keep in mind that, although we are in San
Francisco now, my gang travels a lot. We don’t

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have a home base, instead often visiting former
pack-members and friends in our travels across
the country.”

Land’s brows shot up. “Wow, why do you

travel so much?”

Kontra smiled. “Because I believe in the

progressive approach to finding mates. Instead, of
waiting for Fate to bring them along, we go out
and find them.”

“Oh,” Land murmured. “That makes sense.”

Land’s next question surprised not just Payson, if
the other men’s scents were anything to go by.
“What’s the tattooist doing here?”

Kontra’s grin was slightly feral and his eyes

glowed. “My sweet mate is getting his nipples
pierced and I am finishing a tattoo.” With that,
Kontra left.

To Payson’s surprise, Land murmured, “I’ve

always wanted nipple piercings.”

Payson remembered how sensitive his mate’s

nipples were. “Another benefit of mating a shifter
is  swifter  healing.”  He  paused,  then  added,  “Of
course, that  means you can never go to a regular
hospital.  That’s  why  we  have  Eli.  He’s  a  doctor
and his mate, Sam, is a nurse.”

“So…” Land pulled back and looked him in the

eye. “Do you think I could get my nipples
pierced? Then you could claim me and they’ll
heal…how fast?”

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Payson felt the blood rush to his loins. His dick

thickened. “A couple of days instead of a couple of
weeks. How about we both get them done? I could
use something to match my dick,” he murmured,
already anticipating the delicious bite of pleasure.

“Yeah. Yeah, that’d be so awesome,” Land

whispered.

Payson led his mate toward the front of the

house,

ignoring

Mutegi’s

snickers,

and

anticipating all the fun he could have with his
sexy, geeky mate’s piercings.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Seven

and couldn’t believe he was actually doing
this. He’d always thought piercings were sexy,

and  most  of  his  jack-off  fodder  was  of  men  with
metal  somewhere  on  their  body.  Seeing  the  ones
on  Payson’s  dick  last  night  had  ratcheted  up  his
desire to another level, and also eased some of his
nerves.

“How come you don’t have any piercings if you

like them so much?” Payson asked curiously.

Face burning, Land focused on the different

size hoops and bars the guy offered for nipples
and muttered, “I’m afraid of needles.”

Payson nodded. “Not too fond of them myself,”

he admitted, wrapping an arm around his
shoulders. He leaned close and whispered, “I’ll
kiss ‘em better for you.”

Land shivered, liking the sound of that.

“Promise?”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied. “If you get a Prince

Albert I’ll kiss that better, too.”

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Cracking up, Land grinned at his lover. “I don’t

think so. I’ll leave the dick piercings to you.”

Payson winked at him. “If you ever change

your mind, the offer will always be there.”

Land watched Tim go through the process of

getting his nipples pierced. He had to give the
man credit, as Tim only grimaced when the burly
man shot the needle through his skin. Next,
Payson had his done, choosing a set of barbells.

When it was his turn, Land pulled off his shirt

and laid down on the love seat. Payson stood at
his head and with surprising sympathetic support,
knelt on the floor and took hold of his hand.

“You ready for this?” Richard, the tattooist

asked, leaning over him.

Letting out a breath slowly through his teeth,

Land nodded.

Not waiting another moment, Richard pulled

the trigger. Pain shot through Land’s body, and he
couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping. “Burns,” he
hissed.

“We got one more,” Richard stated, swabbing

his other nipple. “Ready?”

Holy cow! Do I want this pain in the other nipple?

Screwing up his courage, Land squeezed his eyes
shut and nodded. Payson massaged his hand right
as a fresh stab of pain shot through him. Breathing
deeply through his nose, Land worked though the
sting. He saw Payson’s worried look and forced a

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smile. “Good thing you didn’t talk me into that
Prince Albert. Props to you, Payson.”

Richard eyed them curiously. “Got a Prince

Albert?”

Payson nodded. “And a Jacob’s Ladder.”
“Nice,” Richard stood and started cleaning his

equipment. He glanced up and grinned. “You
want any more? There’s plenty of other locations.”

Land frowned. Was Richard hitting on

his…shoot, what was Payson to him? Their talk
about mates and mating made it sound like
Payson wanted more, and Ben said shifters didn’t
cheat. Was that true?

Laughing, Payson shook his head. “Not right

now,  man.  Thanks,  though.”  Payson  turned  back
to  Land,  apparently  dismissing  Richard,  and
brushed  a  strand  of  hair  from  Land’s  face.  “You
okay, sexy?”

Richard moved away to set up his station for

whatever  tattoo  Kontra  planned.  Land  nodded
absently.  As  he  sat  up,  everything  that  had
happened to him in the last twenty-four hours hit
him like a punch in the gut. He’d gone out to his
first  club,  been  picked  up  by  a  hot  man,  lost  his
virginity,  found  out  shape-shifters  were  real  and
one  wanted  to  keep  him,  and  he’d  gotten  his
nipples pierced.

“Oh my goodness,” he moaned, his stomach

rolling.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Payson leaned close. “What’s wrong?”
“Bathroom,” Payson pleaded.
Payson seemed to understand, for he helped

him to his feet and ushered him to a hall
bathroom—just in time for Land to drop in front
of the toilet and lose his breakfast.

“Eli!” Payson yelled.
Land wanted to tell Payson he’d be fine, it was

just nerves, but he was too busy emptying his
stomach.

Eli’s tall slender frame cast a shadow over Land

as he gripped the rim of the toilet. “What set him
off?” Eli asked.

He heard water run, then Payson draped a cool

cloth over the back of his neck. “I’m not sure,”
Payson said. “He just got his nipples done, sat up,
and asked for the bathroom.”

Hearing the worry in his lover’s voice—holy

cow,  I  have  a  lover!—made  Land  swallow
convulsively.  Only  his  sister  had  ever  worried
about him. Oh, no. My sister! What was she going
to  say?  Larissa  had  already  made  it  known  that
she  didn’t  approve  of  Payson,  though  he  still
didn’t know why. Maybe he should read all those
texts.

“Hmm, maybe he’s having an allergic reaction

to something he ate at breakfast,” Eli mused. “I’d
like to draw some blood and—”

“No,” Land gasped, peering over his shoulder

Charlie Richards

at them. “I’m okay.”

“If you’re allergic to something, we need to

know  what  not  to  feed  you,”  Eli  stated,  crossing
his  arms  over  his  chest.  His  eyes  narrowed,
expressing  how  disgruntled  he  was  at  being
denied.

Land accepted the toilet paper Payson offered

him  and  wiped  his  mouth.  “I’m  not  allergic  to
anything. I’m just overwhelmed.” He rocked back
on his  haunches and frowned up at the tall  man.
“Do  you  have  any  idea  how  strange  all  this  is  to
me? Most days I  don’t even leave my apartment.
Now I’ve found a guy who turns into a…a hyena
and  thinks  he  can  keep  me  as  if  I  were  a  lost
puppy,” he snapped.

Eli rolled his eyes. “Looks like you and your

mate need to talk,” he said, leaving them alone.

At the chagrined look on Payson’s face, guilt

surged  through  Land.  He  sighed  and  settled  on
his butt with his back to the wall. Leaning his head
against  the  wall,  he  let  his  eyelids  slide  closed.
“How  old  are  you?”  Hearing  his  lover’s  story
earlier, all he’d wanted to do was soothe the man,
remove  his  agitation  and  pain,  but  in  hind-sight,
just what was he getting into?

“One hundred and twelve.”
“Holy shit,” Land muttered, his eyes popping

back open. He slapped a hand over his mouth.
“Oops.”

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Payson cocked his head. “Shifters can live

almost five hundred years. Are you going to try to
leave me? Because now that I’ve found you, I can’t
let you go. You mean everything to me. I’m pretty
sure I can make you happy.”

The blunt way Payson spoke made Land smile.

“I  appreciate  the  honesty.  This…”  He  waved  his
hand  between  them  then  around  the  room,  to
indicate the house in general and the people in it.
“This  kind  of  living…wow.”  How  could  he  tell
Payson  his  one  bedroom  apartment  would  fit
inside  Payson’s  bedroom  and  bathroom?  Well,
since  Payson  was  so  straight-forward,  maybe  he
should be, too. “The things you’ve said make  me
believe  you  want  me  to  move  in  with  you  and
never leave.”

Payson nodded.
“Living in a place like this…” He whistled low.

“It would take some getting used to.”

“Oh, we don’t own this place,” Payson told

him. “We’re renting it right now because Ben is
waiting for his powers to get strong enough to
locate his mentor, Draven. Once he does that, we’ll
probably move on again. We’re a true biker gang,
completely nomadic.”

“You don’t have a home? How on earth does

that work?”

Payson settled with his back against the wall

next to him. He shrugged, then wrapped his arm

Charlie Richards

around Land’s shoulders. “We go from place to
place, exploring, enjoying the scenery.”

“What do you do for money?” As soon as Land

said it, he wondered if that was rude.

“We don’t need a lot, but we’re all pretty

wealthy,”  Payson  said,  surprising  him.  “Lamar
and  Kontra  taught  all  of  us  how  to  move  stocks.
We  close  our  accounts  every  fifteen  years  and
open new ones under new names.”

“Wow, okay,” Land murmured.
“If you don’t leave your apartment much, what

do you do for money?” Payson asked, turning his
head against the wall to look at him.

“I verify lines of code for a video game

company,” he said, admitting his nerdiness.

“Do you play the video games, too?” Payson

asked.

His faced heated with a flush. “Yeah.”
“Cool. So you could bring your laptop and do

that on the road, right?” Payson didn’t really say it
like a question, more as if it were a given that
Land would pack up his stuff and travel with him.
“Or you don’t have to work at all. Whatever you
want.”

Then Land realized, other than his sister, he

had  no  reason  not  to.  He  had  a  sexy  man—okay,
shifter—who  wanted  to  take  care  of  him  and
please  him.  And,  no,  Land  didn’t  really  want  a
sugar daddy, he liked pulling his own weight and

In the Eyes Of Crazy

being independent, but to just have someone who
didn’t mind that he was a geek and cared for him
anyway was really nice. Who gave a crap why
Payson wanted him? He just did.

“I suppose I should give my notice to my

landlord, huh?” he murmured.

The look of absolute delight that lit up Payson’s

face was worth any price, and Land’s heart
pounded just a little bit harder, which
unfortunately, made his nipples throb, and not in
a good way.

Payson leaned over, his intention to kiss Land

clear in his eyes. Land turned his head, giving the
man his cheek. At Payson’s frown, Land quickly
explained, “I really need to brush my teeth first.”

“Oh, sure.” Payson levered to his feet and held

out his hand. “Come on.”

Sitting on the bed scrolling through the dozens

of messages Larissa had sent him since last night,
Land heaved a sigh. His sister was pissed. What
the heck was her problem and did she really know
Payson? She’d said all kinds of nasty things about
him, even claiming to have slept with him.

Land tapped his finger on his leather-clad leg,

reminding himself that he really needed to go
home and get cleaned up. But first, “Hey,
Payson,” he called, his heart tripping in his chest.
“Do you recognize her?” he asked. Land held up
his phone with a picture of his sister on the screen.

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Payson popped his head out of the bathroom,

toothbrush stuck between his teeth, and stared at
the picture for a second, then shook his head. He
pulled the brush out and muttered, “Who?”

“My sister, Larissa.” Adopting Payson’s blunt

nature, he stated, “She says you slept with her.”
The words felt bitter, even as he spoke them.

To his utter shock, Payson shrugged, spit, and

rinsed  out  his  mouth.  Once  done,  he  leaned  his
shoulder  against  the  frame  and  said,  “I’m  over  a
hundred  years  old,  Land.  I’ve  slept  with  a  lot  of
people.”

“Well, she seems to remember you,” Land

snapped.

That got Payson’s attention. His eyes narrowed

and he stalked forward. Land cringed, but all the
man did was snatch the phone from his hand and
take a closer look at the picture. As Payson stared,
he absently stated, “I’ll never intentionally hurt
you, Land.”

“What about when you’re a…” he trailed off

and frowned.

“Hyena? Oh, my animal knows it’s you. He’s

me, too,” Payson said. He scowled at the picture.
“You know, she does look familiar. We passed
through San Francisco a couple of years ago.” His
tone took on an introspective quality as he
obviously searched his memories.

Suddenly, his eyes widened. “That’s when I

In the Eyes Of Crazy

fucked a brunette I thought might be my mate, but
my hyena rejected her.” Payson met his gaze and
held out the phone. “Makes sense that it was her.
Your scents would be awfully similar since you’re
siblings.”

The fact that Payson didn’t seem to think

anything of the fact that he’d screwed his sister
made Land incredibly angry. “Take me home,
now,” he ordered, leaping to his feet and striding
out of the room.

Land didn’t bother checking to see if Payson

followed. If the man didn’t, then Land would walk
home. As he strode into the garage, his eyes teared
up. Angrily, he brushed the liquid away before it
could fall. He didn’t know what hurt more—the
fact that Payson hadn’t even said sorry or that he
didn’t really seem to think anything of it.

As he neared the bike, memories of last night’s

ride home assaulted him. It’d been so hot, so much
fun, to be pressed up against Payson. Then the
make-out session and orgasm in his pants had
been even hotter.

A low growl sounded behind Land, pulling him

from his thoughts. He turned and gasped, backing
up a step upon seeing the feral light in Payson’s
eyes as he stalked toward him. “Payson?” he
whispered, concern spiking through him.

“You told me you’d be there for me, and now

you think to leave? Are you a liar?” Payson

Charlie Richards

snarled. “Can’t I trust you, mate?”

Land’s jaw dropped and his ire returned. He

stood  his  ground  and  lifted  a  hand  to  point  at
Payson.  “Now  you  just  wait  a  damn  minute,”  he
snapped.  “You  screw  my  sister,  don’t  think
anything  of  it,  and  don’t  expect  me  to get  upset?
What’s  up  with  that?  I  might  just  be  some
computer  nerd,  but  even  I  find  that  offensive,
okay?”  He  curled  his  lip  and  muttered,  “You
didn’t even apologize.”

Payson narrowed his eyes and kept coming.

Seconds later, Land found himself pinned against
the wall. Payson pressed his body against Land’s
from chest to thighs and grabbed his arms, pulling
them up beside his head.

His face inches from Land’s, Payson

murmured, “I guess I should have mentioned that
although most shifters can tell a mate on scent
alone, I can’t.”

“What do you mean?”
“I mean, the scientists who held me, fucked

with my DNA. I have a badass sense of smell, but
had  to  rely  on  my  hyena  to  tell  me  if  the  person
who  smelled  so  good  was  my  mate.  The  easiest
way to do that was to fuck them.” Payson ducked
his  head  and  pressed  his  mouth  against  Land’s
neck. “All those others were just a sea of nameless
faces,  a  way  to  pass  the  time  as  I  searched  for
you.”

In the Eyes Of Crazy

“I’m not a liar,” Land murmured, tilting his

head to give Payson more access. “It hurt to think
that if I hadn’t been your mate, I’d end up just like
Larissa. Cast aside at the earliest convenience.”

“You were on your way out the door before I

even woke,” Payson pointed out.

Land didn’t know if his flush was caused by

embarrassment from being called out on his
behavior or from the way Payson’s hard dick
rubbed against his own.

“No matter. I would have tracked you down.”

Payson  nibbled  his  way  up  Land’s  neck  to  the
sensitive  skin  behind  his  ear.  “It’s  no  different
than  humans  going  out  to  pick  up  a  one  night
stand  and  then  succumbing  to  love  at  first  sight.
We just happen to know it will happen to us and
don’t bother fighting it.”

“Love at first sight?” Land murmured. Was

Payson saying what Land thought he was saying?

“Sure,” Payson whispered.
“You love me?” He hated how needy he

sounded.

“Eventually,” Payson replied. He pulled back

slightly and looked Land in the eye. “How could I
not when you’re so perfect for me?”

Land managed to shake his head, having a hard

time focusing through the rising lust as Payson
continued to suck up marks on his neck and rock
their erections together. “Not perfect.”

Charlie Richards

Payson chuckled. “Well, neither am I. We’ll be

fucked up together. How’s that sound?”

“Mm, okay,” he replied breathily.
“Good. If you have any other objections, now’d

be the time to say. Otherwise, I’m going to lay you
across my bike and fucking claim you, mate.”

Payson actually growled the words, making

Land’s chest vibrate. The new nipple rings sent a
spike of pleasure-pain straight to his already
aching dick. “Yes, please,” he begged, desperately
wanting relief.

His lover growled again.
Land moaned in frustration when Payson

stepped away, but any words of protest died in his
throat when his lover yanked off his shirt then
went to work on his jeans. Payson spared him a
glance and ordered gruffly, “Naked. Now.”

“Here?” he squeaked, glancing around

furtively.

“Told you I’m laying you over my bike. Don’t

make me rip those pants off you. I happen to like
how your ass looks in them.”

Land pulled his shirt over his head, careful not

to  catch  his  new  rings  on  the  fabric,  then  peeled
his  pants  off  his  legs.  A  thrill  shot  through  him
when, seconds later, he stood naked as the day he
was  born  in  the  middle  of  the  large  garage.  He
went willingly when Payson positioned him over
his bike, stomach on the seat and butt in the air.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Payson palmed his cheeks, then pulled them

apart, revealing his hole. Land had never thought
of himself as an exhibitionist, but the idea that any
of Payson’s friends could walk out and see his ass
in the air caused a drop of pre-cum to ooze from
his slit.

Then, Payson lapped at his anus. The tongue-

bath sent tingles through Land’s system, and he
went up on his toes, chasing more of the amazing,
warm, wet massage. Payson didn’t disappoint. His
tongue swept over him, then probed inside him,
working him open. When Payson actually scraped
his teeth over the sensitive flesh of his hole, Land
found himself howling with pleasure.

A lubed finger slid into his hole, and Land

gasped at the sudden feeling of cold slickness. It
gave him just enough presence of mind to
mumble, “Where’d you get the lube?”

Kissing his way up the knobs of Land’s spine,

Payson  murmured  against  his  skin,  “Single  use
packet.  Figured  I  should  always  carry  one  now
that  I’ve  found  you.”  He  nipped  the  nape  of
Land’s  neck  and  added  roughly,  “Never  know
when we’ll feel the urge to fuck.”

Land moaned at the combination of Payson’s

words, kisses, and his fingers brushing his
prostate. “Good idea,” he gasped. He hissed at the
introduction of a third finger so quickly, but
Payson sucking his earlobe and slowly jacking his

Charlie Richards

cock quickly distracted him.

Payson stretched him quickly, and just when

Land was ready to beg his lover to fill him, Payson
eased  his  fingers  away.  Instead  of  spearing  him,
Payson pulled him upright and spun him around.
He  opened  his  mouth  to  protest,  but  his  lover
silenced  him  with  a  deep,  toe-curling  kiss  that
made Land moan into the other man’s mouth.

Land’s jutting cock bumped against Payson’s.

The  heat  of  his  lover’s  dick  contrasted  sharply  to
the  cool  metal  embedded  in  his  shaft.  The
combined  sensations  rubbing  against  Land’s
sensitive skin sent shudders through his body. His
arms  wrapped  around  Payson,  Land  gripped  the
meat of his shoulder-blades and used the hold to
rub their dicks together.

Payson plundered Land’s mouth and held him

tight while he pleasured them both for several
seconds before breaking away. Payson grinned
and declared, “Want to see your face when I fuck
you this time. Then I’m going to claim you.”

“O-okay,” Land stuttered, wondering how

Payson could form a coherent thought right then.

Still holding his hand, Payson spun around

Land and straddled his bike, backward like he had
the  night  before,  and  rested  his  back  against  the
gas  tank.  The  black  leather  seat  accentuated  the
metal  balls  running  up  the  length  of  Payson’s
jutting  shaft  and  the  small  hoop  at  the  head.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Payson’s wide slit already oozed pre-cum, making
Land’s mouth water for a taste.

“Another time,” Payson said, obviously

catching the way Land licked his lips at the sight
of him spread out across his bike. He gave Land a
lascivious smile and ordered, “Ride me, baby.”

It took some doing, and plenty of help from

Payson, but Land finally found himself straddling
his lover, the man’s dick up his butt and his balls
pressed against Payson’s crack. And nothing had
felt better or more right, making all his cares and
concerns melt away in pleasure.

Payson slid a hand up his side, caressing his

ribcage, then wrapping it under his arm to
encourage Land to lean forward. “Come here.”

Land obeyed. Payson’s cock shifted in his

chute,  pressing  against  his  hot  spot.  Shouting,
Land’s  hips  jerked  at  the  jolt  of  ecstasy  coursing
through him. “Oh, god,” he whimpered, his hands
twitching  where  they  rested  on  Payson’s
shoulders.

“Yeah,” Payson crooned. “Let me see your

pleasure. So beautiful.”

Payson leaned up and gently licked his freshly

pieced  nipple.  What  should  have  been  painful,
instead  tingled  warmly.  Taking  control,  Payson
lifted  him  halfway  off  his  cock,  then  rocked  his
hips, sliding his cock in and out of him. His lover
continued to lave his nipples with saliva, moving

Charlie Richards

from one to the other and back again.

A riot of sensations unlike anything he’d ever

felt  before  left  Land  a  twitching,  whimpering,
bundle  of  raw  nerves,  and  all  he  could  do  was
hang on for the ride. His cock leaked like a sieve,
the  pre-cum  oozing  over  his  sensitive  glans  felt
amazing.  Land’s  balls  pulled  tight.  He  thrust  his
chest  forward,  looking  for  more  of  Payson’s
talented  mouth.  His  head  lolled  on  his  shoulders
and  his  eyes  slid  closed  as  his  cock  erupted,
sinking Land into the bliss of orgasm.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Chapter Eight

feral growl rumbled up Payson’s throat. The
look of abject rapture on Land’s face as his

cock spewed spunk across both their chests was a
thing of beauty. His mate’s ass clamped down on
Payson’s cock as Land convulsed in the throes of
orgasm. It took every ounce of self-control he
possessed not to lose his seed into his sweet
human.

But Payson knew Land would come again

when he bit him, and he wanted his mate to feel
every ounce of bliss he could provide. He released
Land’s hip and gripped his mate’s cock, jacking
slowly, milking a last shot of spunk from him.

Land moaned once more and slumped against

him.

Payson grinned through the pain of holding his

own orgasm at bay. Returning his hand to Land’s
hip, he whispered, “You ready for round two?”

Tilting his head to look at Payson, Land smiled

drunkenly up at him. “I don’t think I could handle

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more right now.”

Chuckling, Payson crooned, “You will.”
Not giving his mate time to contemplate the

matter, and Payson didn’t know who in their right
mind would want to while in his position, he
thrust up into his mate once, twice. He knew it
wouldn’t take long. His balls were already hard as
rocks and his shaft throbbed.

Payson felt the telltale tingle at the base of his

spine. Unwilling to wait a second longer for the
pleasure of his release, he sank his elongated
canines into the flesh where Land’s shoulder met
his neck.

Land’s squeak ended with a wild groan as more

seed flooded the space between them.

Swallowing down the sweet, life-giving blood

of his mate, Payson did some moaning of his own.
The  pressure  on  his  dick  felt  exquisite  and  his
orgasm  struck.  His  eyes  slid  shut  as  bliss  rolled
through  his  body,  making  him  tingle  from  his
head to his toes.

He pulled his teeth from Land’s neck, threw his

head back, and roared his pleasure. Filling his
mate’s rectum with his seed, Payson felt the bond
between him and his mate strengthen, binding
them for eternity. His hyena contentedly curled up
in his mind.

Payson wrapped his arms tightly around his

mate and let himself bask in the moment. Finally,

In the Eyes Of Crazy

his mate stirred enough to turn his head and look
at him. “Does your bite always make me…come?”
he asked, blushing oh-so-nicely.

His cock stirring at the sight of his thoroughly

debauched, yet still bashful mate, Payson grinned.
“Hell, yeah, beautiful.”

Land snorted. “Not beautiful. Gangly.”
Payson kissed Land’s temple and murmured,

“Beautiful to me, and I’ll prove it to you, even if it
takes a couple of centuries.”

Instead of commenting, Land changed the

subject. “I’m surprised my nipples don’t hurt after
that. They sure did when I came out here.”

“My saliva heals your superficial cuts.

Something to do with the mate-bond that I don’t
really get,” he said.

“Oh, cool.”
“What’d be really cool is if more of our friends

would fuck in public places. Then we poor
schmucks who aren’t getting it on a regular basis
could at least jack-off to the sights and sounds.”

At the sound of the amused voice, Land

squeaked and nearly toppled them off the bike.
Payson clutched his mate to his chest and frowned
at Vail. The wolf shifter grinned unashamed,
boldly perusing them. “Now that’s a position I’ve
not tried,” he mused, grinning.

Unreasonable jealousy, unlike anything Payson

had ever felt before, raced through him. Payson

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snarled. “I don’t recommend coming any closer.”
He struggled to keep from setting his mate aside
and tearing his pack-mate’s eyes from his head.

Vail rolled his eyes and leaned against a bike

parked  ten  feet  away.  His  gaze  focused
somewhere  over  their  heads.  “Figures.  You  find
your  mate  and  become  just  as  possessive  as
everyone else.” He shrugged. “I just came out here
because  Kontra  sent  me.  He  says  Land’s  sister  is
here  with  the  cops.  He  wants  you  in  the  house,
asap.”

“What?” Land squeaked, finally lifting his

flushed face and looking at the other man.

He tried to move, but Payson held him fast, one

hand cupping his ass and the other wrapped
around his torso. “Leave. We’ll be there shortly,”
Payson growled.

Vail met his look, smirked, then swept his gaze

over them again before turning back toward the
door. “Don’t be long,” he called over his shoulder
as he strode away.

Once Payson was certain Vail was gone, he

released  his  hold  and  helped  his  mate  get  down,
drawing  sharp  hisses  from  both  of  them  as  his
softened  cock  slid  from  Land’s  hole.  While  he
gently  wiped  his  lover  down  with  his  t-shirt,  he
wondered  how  Larissa  even  knew  where  they
were.

“The idea of getting caught is so much cooler

In the Eyes Of Crazy

than actually getting caught,” Land muttered.

Payson chuckled. “Eventually, we’re going to

have to do this in a bed,” he teased.

Land snorted. It pleased Payson that he could

calm his mate so easily. Running his hand over
Land’s slender hip, Payson looked up at his mate.
“Vail’s about as voyeuristic as I am,” he admitted.
“We used to creep around the mansion or
wherever we’d stopped and see if we could catch
the guys in the act.”

“You didn’t,” Land denied, his shock evident.
Nodding, Payson continued, “We’d never get

too close, but we’d make a comment like Vail
did.” Standing, he handed Land his pants. “Being
on the receiving end is a whole other ball of wax.”

“So, not all of you have found your mates?”

Land asked.

“No. Only about half of us. Most of us just keep

looking,  and  when  one  of  the  other  guys  finds
their mate, we try not to get jealous.” He frowned,
thinking  about  his  friend.  “Except  for  Vail.  He
says  he  doesn’t  want  to  find  his  mate,  but
sometimes…”  He  shook  his  head.  “The  way  he
looks at the mated couples makes me wonder,” he
admitted.

Before his mate could pull his shirt over his

head,  Payson  grabbed  his  hand  and  started
leading  him  back  toward  the  house.  “Guess  we
oughta  let your sister know she can’t run me off,

Charlie Richards

huh? I wonder how she found out where we are.”

“Uh, I told her,” Land admitted, grimacing.
“Really?” At Land’s nod, Payson shrugged. “I

guess it makes sense. You, a virgin, going to a
stranger’s home where lots of men live. I’m sure
you were worried about being ravished.”

He smiled, hoping it looked like he was teasing,

although  worry  did  still  churn  in  his  gut.  He
didn’t  really  remember  Larissa.  The  only  thing
that stood out about the night he’d been with her
was  his  surprise  and  disappointment  when  his
hyena  hadn’t  wanted  the  pleasant  smelling
woman.  Now,  Payson  felt  incredibly  grateful  for
his  animal’s  discerning  nose.  He  prayed  to
whatever  gods  cared  to  listen  that  Larissa
wouldn’t still find a way to change Land’s mind.

Evidently, he didn’t do quite as good a job of

hiding his worry as he’d thought. Land squeezed
his hand, getting his attention. “There isn’t
anything she can tell me that you haven’t already,
right? No more hyenas in the closet?” he teased
gently.

Payson snickered. “I’m not purposefully hiding

anything, lover,” he murmured. He paused just
inside the foyer and drew his mate into his arms.
Between butterfly kisses, he murmured, “You may
ask me anything and I’ll always answer truthfully.
That’s my promise to you.”

“Your promises mean a lot to you,” Land

In the Eyes Of Crazy

muttered against his lips.

“They do,” Payson replied, pleased his mate

had  picked  up  on  that.  He  deepened  the  kiss,
thrusting his tongue into Land’s mouth, tasting his
unique masculine musk, enjoying it like the finest
wine. Twining their tongues, Payson gently drew
his lover’s appendage into his mouth and sucked
lightly,  reminiscent  of  what  he’d  done  to  Land’s
cock  the  night  before.  His  dick  thickened  in  his
jeans, and Payson knew he’d never get enough of
the man in his arms, and he never wanted to.

A throat clearing caught his attention. His

shifter senses told him they’d gained an audience
of  several  people.  Payson  didn’t  give  a  shit.  He
cupped  Land’s  jaw  when  he  felt  his  lover  tense,
and gently, taking his sweet time, eased the kiss to
an  end.  Sipping  a  couple  more  butterfly  kisses
from  Land’s  lips,  Payson  took  in  Land’s  dazed
expression and dilated eyes.

He grinned. It was a sexy look on his mate.

He’d have to be sure to put it there often.

“Payson,” Kontra finally said, amusement

filling his deep voice. “There are some officers
here who’d like to speak with Land. Perhaps we
could move this to the salon?”

Payson knew it might have been phrased like a

question, but Kontra’s statement wasn’t a request.
After offering a quick nod, he took his lover’s
hand and led him toward the front of the house,

Charlie Richards

then into the salon. Two men, neither in uniform,
and  one  dark-haired  woman  waited.  The  woman
had  her  arms  crossed  and  tapped  her  foot
impatiently.  He  ignored  the  narrow-eyed  glare
from the brunette who could only be Larissa.

Land confirmed his suspicions when he said,

“Larissa, what’s going on? What are you doing
here with the police?”

She straightened. Frowning, she waved a hand

around the group. “These bikers kidnapped you.
They won’t let you leave,” she said, scowling at all
the men.

Huffing, Land pulled away from Payson and

grabbed  Larissa’s  arm.  He  proceeded  to
manhandle  her  as  only  a  brother  could,
maneuvering  her  to  a  couch.  Payson  watched
Land  point  to  the  couch.  To  his  surprise,  Larissa
actually  obeyed.  Land  crossed  his  arms  over  his
chest, which was kind of a pity because it hid the
silver hoops Payson already loved playing with.

“Larissa, what’s this about? I can leave here any

time I want.” Land looked at the scowling faces of
the officers. “I wasn’t kidnapped. I’m here of my
own free will. This is a misunderstanding between
siblings. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience.”

The bigger man, a broad-shouldered dark-

haired guy who stood about six foot two, scowled
at them and asked, “I’d like to hear you say that
without the others in the room.” He gave Payson a

In the Eyes Of Crazy

scathing look. “That okay with you, sir?”

Payson’s hackles rose at the condescending

tone, but Kontra’s hand on his neck had him
growling, “Yes,” through clenched teeth. “Holler
if you need anything,” he told Land.

His lover’s understanding smile and nod

settled  Payson’s  temper.  He  exited  the  room,  but
didn’t go far. Instead, he rested a shoulder against
the  wall  and  listened.  Kontra  stood  next  to  him,
leaned  close  and  muttered,  “Congrats  on  your
claiming.”

At that, Payson couldn’t stop his grin.

“Thanks.”

“How’s he handling everything?”
Payson cocked his head. “We’ve had a

few…hiccups,” he said, thinking of his mate’s
hyperventilating, his escape to the john, and their
misunderstanding where the sister was concerned.
“Surprisingly well,” Payson decided.

Kontra grunted.
“How can you say you’re here of your own free

will?” Larissa’s shrill question had Payson tensing.
“You’re running around without a shirt, and—oh,
my  god!—are  those  nipple  rings?  I  picked  out
your  shirt  last  night,  and  you  didn’t  have  them
then.  What  the  hell,  Land?”  Larissa  shrieked.  “Is
this some kind of orgy thing?”

“Larissa,” Land snapped. “That’s enough. I

understand you’re upset that I’m with a guy you

Charlie Richards

slept with.” In response to an audible gasp, Land
said, “Yes, we talked about that. I admit he’s far
more experienced than I am, but that doesn’t
matter to me. He’s with me now.”

Payson really liked how confident Land

sounded. He made a mental note to confirm his
mate’s surety later.

“How can you say that?” Larissa asked, taking

on a conciliatory tone. “You’ve only known him a
day.”

“I—”
“Wait a damn minute,” snarled a man’s voice,

one  of  the  officers.  “You  dragged  me  out  here  to
rescue  your  fag  brother  from  some  other  fag?  If
Land  makes  a  bad  decision,  he  deserves  what  he
gets. Fucking pervert.”

Payson let out a low growl and shoved away

from  the  wall,  intending  to  walk  in  there  and
wallop him, police officer or not. He made it to the
doorway and stopped when he saw Larissa leap to
her  feet  and  shove  the  officer,  hard.  As  he
stumbled  back  a  step,  Larissa  roared,  “You  don’t
talk about my brother that way. Land is twice the
man  you  are,  Ricky  Malone.  Does  Brianna  know
you  feel  that  way?  Think  your  mama  would
approve?”  She  got  up  in  the  big  man’s  face,  and
Payson felt a grudging measure of respect for the
little  spitfire.  “Maybe  you  need  your  fag  little
brother  to  beat  some  sense  into  you.  He’s  more

In the Eyes Of Crazy

man than you are right now.”

The officer, Ricky, glared daggers at Larissa, his

face  flaming  red.  For  a  couple  of  tense  seconds,
Payson  thought  the  guy  would  hit  Land’s  sister.
Then  the  other  officer  grabbed  Ricky’s  arm  and
pulled  him  away.  The  blond  man  urged  Ricky
toward Payson and the doorway.

“Come on, Ricky. No need to get upset. It’s not

like we have to file a report, since it was all a favor
for a friend,” the second officer soothed.

Slender, wiry even, the officer must have been

stronger than he looked, for he easily got his
partner moving. Payson stepped aside to let them
pass, and the other guy’s scent hit his nostrils. His
eyes widened and he just managed to hold back a
low growl. He was a fucking vampire!

The officer smirked and winked. For a split

second, his eyes flashed red.

“God, Draven,” Ricky muttered. “Only you

wouldn’t care about being woken up too early on
our first full day off in two weeks.”

Draven? Where have I heard that name before?
Payson’s attention snapped to Kontra when his

alpha hissed in a harsh breath. “Draven?”

The couple had reached the front door. While

Ricky stalked outside, Draven paused in the
doorway. He looked over his shoulder, directly at
Kontra, and flashed a fang. Then he slipped out,
slamming the door behind him.

Charlie Richards

“Please tell me that wasn’t the Draven we’re

looking for?” Payson muttered.

Kontra cocked his head. “I have absolutely no

idea.” The big alpha looked at him. “Not sure I
want a vampire around my mate,” he muttered.

“Especially one with magick, right boss?” he

whispered.

“Damn it,” Kontra snarled.
Torn, Payson glanced between the room where

Land still talked with his sister and his alpha. If
his alpha wanted to go after the vampire, Payson
would be at his side. Kontra placed a big hand on
Payson’s shoulder and squeezed. “Go to your
mate. This is my problem.”

Payson nodded, relieved. “Thanks, boss.”
Just outside the salon, Vail caught his arm.

“Who was here?” the wolf shifter asked, his brows
creased as he scented the air.

“Just those cops, uh, Ricky and Draven,”

Payson said. “Didn’t you see them?”

“No,” Vail murmured, clearly distracted.

Without  another  word,  he  wandered  away.
Payson  cocked  his  head,  wondering  at  the  man’s
frown,  then  he  decided  he  had  other  things  to
worry about and headed into the salon.

In the Eyes Of Crazy

Chapter Nine

and had watched his sister stand up for him.
He’d watched the officers leave, knowing his

mate  probably  stood  right  outside.  Payson
confirmed  his  belief  when  he  appeared  in  the
doorway,  a  thunderous  look  darkening  his  sexy
features.  Just  the  fact  he  thought  the  man
extremely hot when so angry hit home how much
he  liked  this  man.  What  Land  found  even  more
fantastic was how  he  felt completely safe, having
some soul deep belief Payson would never use his
strength against him, except in the best of ways.

Land knew it wouldn’t take much to fall in love

with the crazy-wild shifter. And he couldn’t wait
for it to happen.

Larissa smacked him on the stomach,

refocusing his attention. The corner of his lip
turned down and he frowned at her. “What the
crap?”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Really?

You’re asking me that?” Evidently, Land didn’t

Charlie Richards

look acceptably mollified, because Larissa snorted
again.  “Puh-leeze!  You’re  in  a  stranger’s
mansion…some  fuck  buddy  keeping  you  half
naked  and  giving  you  piercings.”  She  waved  her
hands at his chest. “What the hell is going on?”

Land sucked in a deep breath then let it out

through his nose. So much for not sharing sexual
kinks with his sister, Land wanted to go hide in
Payson’s room. He struggled against the blush he
felt warming the skin of his chest and neck. “I’ve
always liked piercings,” he muttered.

With her hands on her hips, Larissa gave him a

narrow-eyed stare. “Then how come you’ve never
gotten any before?”

He lifted his gaze to the ceiling, praying for

patience  and  the  right  words.  After  a  couple  of
seconds,  he  focused  on  his  sister.  “I’m  not  sure
why  I  have  to  explain  myself  to  you,  Larissa.  I
might be eight years younger but I’m not a child. I
like men with piercings, watching porn containing
uniformed  men,  and  the  feel  of  a  big  dick  in  my
ass.  With  Payson,  I  don’t  have  to  explain  why  I
like  them.  He’s  even  happy  to  indulge  in  any  of
those  things  with  me.  He  doesn’t  make  me  feel
weird or perverted, and I don’t feel like I have to
hide anything.”

Pausing for a breath, and to gather his next

thought string, Land lifted a hand to stop Larissa
from interrupting. “Because Payson accepts me

In the Eyes Of Crazy

just  as  I  am,  a  skinny  geeky  nerd,  and  I  do  the
same for him. That includes the fact that not only
has  he  slept  with  you,  but  with  countless  other
people, men and women.”  Plus a crap-load of other

things that I can’t tell you, like shape-shifting and
mates and accelerated healing and strength and…

Land let out a long breath, not wanting to get

overwhelmed about things he was still coming to
grips  with.  He  knew  it  would  happen  in  time.  If
the  other  humans  in  the  house  could  do  it,  he
could,  too.  “I’m  not  sleeping  with  anyone  but
Payson,”  Land  decided  to  say  instead.  “I  don’t
want  to  sleep  with  anyone  but  Payson.  Many  of
the  other  guys  here  are  also  in  a  committed
relationship.  These  guys  are  Payson’s  family,  not
orgy partners.”

Land watched Larissa worry her bottom lip. It

was  a  reaction  he  knew  well.  It  meant  she  was
working up the nerve to say something she didn’t
think he’d like hearing, but in her opinion, needed
to be said. Seeing the concern in her blue eyes, so
similar to his own, Land knew she just wanted to
look  out  for  him.  He  didn’t  always  want  her
opinion or agree with her views, but there was no
doubt  in  his  mind  she  cared  for  him  and  loved
him.  Larissa  was  his  family.  This  situation  was
more than a little awkward for both of them, but
Land knew he needed to help her understand he
wasn’t walking away from Payson.

Charlie Richards

Finally, she opened her mouth and pointed out,

“You were still a virgin until last night. How do
you know what you like?”

The flush Land had been fighting won. Heat

crept  across  his  chest  and  up  his  neck  into  his
cheeks. There was no way in hell he was going to
try to explain how fantastic Payson made him feel,
how  if  he  came  any  harder  he’d  end  up  dying
from bliss. “Ever believe in love at first sight?” he
asked  softly.  At  her  incredulous  look,  Land
shrugged. “We fit.”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt, Land,”

Larissa murmured.

“I know that,” he assured, smiling and

squeezing her hand. “You won’t, but if that ever
happened, I’d always have your shoulder to cry
on and you can tell me you told me so,” he teased,
trying to lighten the suddenly somber mood.

“That will never happen,” Payson said from the

doorway, gaining their attention.

Land’s heartbeat accelerated as he watched his

lover stalk across the room toward him. He caught
the glint of lust and something else, something
wild and primitive, in Payson’s gray eyes. Without
hesitation, Land opened his arms and accepted his
lover’s embrace.

Payson cupped Land’s jaw with one palm, his

other arm locking tight around his torso. They
stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds,

In the Eyes Of Crazy

and Land easily read all the building love and
affection Payson had for him. It warmed him that
his lover didn’t even try to hide it.

Finally, Payson broke the poignant silence by

asking, “Are you okay? He didn’t strike you, did
he?”

The gruffly spoken words caused Land to suck

in a harsh breath, his heart swelling just a bit more
for  this  man.  He  felt  protected.  Safe.  He  smiled.
“I’m  fine.  Larissa  might  not  understand  how
quickly  our  bond  formed,  and  maybe  I  don’t
either,” he admitted, “but she didn’t purposefully
bring that homophobe here. She thought she was
helping,” he murmured, defending his sister while
offering  her  an  understanding  smile.  She  was
family, after all, and they cared for each other.

Payson nodded, then turned toward Larissa, his

arm still tight around Land. “I have no quarrel
with you. No one here does. I freely admit I was a
player for a long time, but Land is my one-and-
only. You’ll never have to say I told you so to him.
His happiness means everything to me.”

Larissa looked at Payson for a long time, then

slowly nodded. Something akin to comprehension
filling  her  eyes.  “Well,  I  do  get  that,  now.  I  was
just  looking  after  my  little  brother,  after  all.  It’s
what  big  sisters  do.”  She  crossed  her  arms  and
gave  Payson  a  gimlet  stare.  “Don’t  make  us
wrong. You ever hurt him, I’ll cut off your balls.”

Charlie Richards

Payson returned her look with a toothy grin.

“You’re welcome here any time, but you’ll never
touch my balls.”

Snorting, Larissa strolled toward the door. “Not

if you were the last man on earth. Let me know
when you’re packing and I’ll come help, Land,”
she called over her shoulder.

Once she was gone, Payson returned his focus

to Land. “You’re packing? You’re moving in with
me?”

Knowing his lover trusted actions far more than

words,  Land  shoved  him,  causing  him  to  back  a
step and collapse onto the sofa. Wasting no time,
he  climbed  onto  Payson’s  lap  and  attacked  his
mouth.  Payson  tangled  his  hands  in  Land’s  hair
and took control of the kiss.

Heat and need coursed through Land and his

cock hardened in  his  pants. It had been less than
an hour, he knew, but already his dick ached and
his hole clenched, and he desperately wanted to be
filled  again  by  his  lover.  “Want  you.  Only  you,”
he  mumbled  between  their  kisses  and  Payson
sucking  his  tongue.  He  rocked  his  hips,  pressing
his erection against Payson’s equally hard ridge.

“Agree you’re mine and only mine. That we’ll

pack up your shit and move you in here as soon as
possible,” Payson demanded before diving back in
and possessing his mouth again.

Land opened wide, only too happy to give his

In the Eyes Of Crazy

lover  everything  he  wanted.  He’d  never  been  a
believer  in  love  at  first  sight, or  first  fuck,  but  he
was  now.  Shifter  or  not,  Payson  was  perfect  for
him, and he had every intention of holding on to
the man with both hands.  Finally,  he was able to
break  away  long  enough  to  mutter,  “Yours.
Always only yours. And you’re mine.”

“Yes, I am.”
“I go where you go,” Land declared.
“Good,” Payson growled, using his hold on

Land’s hair to keep his head steady. “Because I
have no intention of letting you go.”

Putting deed to words, Land showed Payson

exactly how happy that made him.

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her
husband  and  furry,  four-legged  children.  She
started  writing  fantasy  when  she  was  eight,  and
after stumbling onto her first erotic romance at age
nineteen,  she  realized  her  true  calling.  She  now
focuses on writing erotic romance, normally of the
paranormal  variety,  with  heroes  and  heroines  of
all  kinds.  You  can  often  find  her  curled  up  with
her  laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or  glass  of  wine,
creating  her  next  adventure.  Charlie  enjoys
exploring the mountains on horseback, 4-wheeler,
or  motorcycle.  Her  favorite  exercise  is  jumping
lessons  with  her  Arabian  gelding  Apache  or  her
Thoroughbred  mare  Repo.  And  she  can’t  get
enough  of  sexy  highlanders  with  their  kilts  and
swords. Right now, she and her muse are working
with  dedication  on  her  Wolves  of  Stone  Ridge
series and Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She

can

reached

ch.richards2010@yahoo.com

Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com