Marked - 1 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and 
incidents either are the product of the author's 
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to 
actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living 
or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of 
either the author or the publisher. 

Marked 
TOP SHELF 
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers 
PO Box 2545 
Round Rock, TX 78680 
Copyright  2010 by Sean Michael 
Cover illustration by S. Clements 
Published with permission 
ISBN: 978-1-61040-058-9 
www.torquerepress.com 
All rights reserved, which includes the right to 
reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form 
whatsoever except as provided by the U.S. Copyright 
Law. For information address Torquere Press. Inc., PO 
Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680. 
First Torquere Press Printing: September 2010 
Printed in the USA 

Marked - 2 

Marked 

Sean Michael 

Chapter One 

Cody sat at the bar, steadfastly ignoring the shit going 
on around him while the whiskey burned from his lips 
all the way down to his belly. He was fucking tired of 
being alone, but he didn't really feel like trolling -- for 
tail or trouble, either one. Still, the walls of the shitty 
hotel room were closing in, weighing on his ass, and so 
he'd given up, grabbed his jacket and his wallet, and 
escaped. 

This late, the bars were the only option if you didn't 
want to spend your waking hours in a twenty-four hour 
greasy spoon, and the idea of the smells there made 
Cody shudder, made his lip curl. 

No. No, give him the whiskey, the driving beat, the 
crowd behind him moving to the music. 

He caught the bartender glancing his way, nodded once. 
He knew the dark glasses seemed like a ridiculous 
affectation, he could read that on the man's face, but the 
man had figured out, after the first five-dollar tip, to 
keep his fucking mouth shut. 

"One more, man?" 

Cody bobbed his head to the driving beat. "Yeah. Make 
it a double." He slid a twenty across the bar. 

The stool beside his was filled: someone tall and broad, 
who smelled all fucking male. He licked his lips, kept 

Marked - 3 

his eyes on the bar, even though his prick took interest 
in the scent. Not here for trolling. 

"What'll it be?" 

The roughest voice he'd ever heard answered. "Whiskey, 
no ice." A bill slid across the bar. 

He nodded as his own drink was slipped over, the liquid 
splashing on his fingers. He hissed softly, licked his 
fingers clean. 

He felt eyes on him, the man next to him turning to look. 
Then a second whiskey was plonked down, one big hand 
grabbing it. They drank together, and Cody finished half 
of the double with a couple of gulps before taking a 
breath. That eased the grind inside him. 

His neighbor settled half sideways, and he could feel the 
man looking again. "Busy night." 

"It is. Lots of folks." 

"You're not looking, though." 

He looked up, surprised at the words, at the growl. "Just 
wanted to be out and about." 

"You could have called." 

"I wasn't sure you'd answer me." He slammed back the 
rest of the drink, just to shut himself up. 

"I'm here, aren't I?" 

Marked - 4 

Cody nodded, closing his eyes against the reflection on 
the back of his dark glasses. Yes. Yes, they were both 
here. 

"I know why you chose this place. The music called you 
-- that driving beat." 

"Yes. I didn't want to be alone." He was so fucking tired 
of being alone, hiding away. 

"Like I fucking said: you could have called." There was 
heat in that growl now. 

He, ever so casually, flipped the asshole off. Butthead. 

"Were you going to at all? Christ, Cody. You're in town 
so fucking rarely, and you weren't even going to call, 
were you?" Barker stood, towering next to him. 

"Don't. Just fucking don't. You told me, when I left last 
time, not to bother!" He wasn't going to have a fight in a 
fucking bar, not when he'd spent days in a hotel where 
he could watch Barker move, sleep. 

"Since when did you ever fucking listen to me?" 

"Fuck this." He headed for the door, head down, furious 
snarls bubbling up inside him. 

He could feel Barker following him, feel those eyes on 
his ass. His fucking body responded eagerly, even 
thought he told it to back the fuck down. Sit. Stay. 

Marked - 5 

As soon as they were out of the bar, one of Barker's big 
hands wrapped around his, dragging him down along the 
street. 

"What the fuck?" Fuck, that hand. That hand. Jesus. 

"You're coming back to mine." Barker didn't slow down 
for a second. 

He wasn't given the chance to argue, to complain --
Barker knew exactly how much height and weight he 
had on Cody. 

They weren't far from Barker's loft apartment, and all 
too soon they were walking through the lobby toward 
the elevator. His hotel room was just across the street, 
looking in. 

"You can't just drag me in here." 

"I just did." 

The elevator door opened, like the motherfucker could 
will it open, and he was shoved inside. Barker followed, 
hitting the button for the sixth floor. Then the man 
stalked right up to him. 

He blinked behind the glasses, took a step back, unable 
to resist the compulsion. Barker didn't bring their 
mouths together, though. The man just stared down at 
him. 

His heart was slamming in his chest, his breath huffing 
out of him. "I hate you." 

Marked - 6 

"Mmmhmm. I hate you, too." Fuck, Barker's voice was 
growlier than ever. 

The elevator slid to a stop. The doors opened and they 
stood there, glaring at each other, eyes just burning. 
Then Barker grabbed his wrist and hauled him out of the 
elevator and into his loft, the walls all nothing but 
windows. 

His glasses were torn from his face, flung across the 
room, and he gasped, hands immediately moving to hide 
his eyes. 

"Don't." Barker grabbed his hands and pulled them away 
from his face. 

He groaned, lips parting, fingers curling into claws as he 
squeezed his eyes closed. 

"Look at me." Before he could reply or comply, Barker's 
mouth was on his, the kiss desperate. 

Oh. Oh. He opened, the flavor crashing over him like a 
ton of bricks, the need so sharp he yipped with it. Barker 
moved him, that strong body just shoving him up against 
the wall, his body slamming against it. 

Barker's teeth nipped his bottom lip, opening him wider. 
Hot and wet, Barker's tongue pushed in, fucking his lips. 

His eyes popped open because he had to see this, had to 
remember every second, every minute. Barker's eyes 
stared right into his own, right into him. 

Marked - 7 

His cock jerked, hot spunk spurting from him, spreading 
in his pants from the heat in those dark eyes. Barker's 
nostrils flared; he could tell the man was scenting him. 

He tensed, embarrassed like he was just a boy. He had to 
get out of here, lick his wounds. Then Barker's mouth 
was on his again, hips grinding into him. Barker fed 
from his lips, refusing to let him back away, demanding 
every second of his need. 

"Gonna fuck you," muttered Barker. "Gonna take this 
ass." Barker's hands wrapped around his butt cheeks, 
squeezed. 

His entire body went on high alert, but he shook his 
head. "Won't let you." It was a lie, and they both knew 
it. 

"Good. It'll be more fun that way." Growling hard, 
Barker started pushing him toward the big bed. 

His cock started coming back to life and he snarled 
softly, warning Barker that he could bite. Barker 
groaned, kept pushing him in the direction of the bed. 
He pushed back, their lips mashing together, the 
pressure splitting their lips. Grabbing his ass, Barker 
hauled him up against the solid body, his feet coming 
off the ground, letting Barker keep them moving. 

"Cheating," he snarled, but his legs wrapped around 
Barker's hips. 

"Can't cheat. No rules." Barker carried him right over to 
the bed and threw them both down on it, the big body 
pushing him hard into the mattress. 

Marked - 8 

He tried to get the upper hand, but Barker's teeth found 
his throat, bit down, insisting that he stay still. He could 
hear the growl building in Barker, could feel it against 
his skin. His body submitted; there was no other choice. 
His Alpha, his Mate, had him by the throat. Cody 
arched, offered himself over. 

The growl came out, triumphant, sexy. 

Barker began to tear at his clothes. His teeth snapped at 
the air, his abs tight as strings at Barker's touch. 

"Better," muttered Barker once he was naked. His right 
nipple was taken between Barker's teeth, bitten. 

He snapped out a cry, his fingers curling into claws. 
Barker's tongue stayed there for a moment, soothing the 
hurt, and then another bite landed by his ribs. His fingers 
found purchase in Barker's hair and tugged, pulling the 
evil bastard closer. More bites covered his skin, Barker 
growling and moaning. 

"Stop..." He rolled up, then Barker shoved him down, 
and his knees went up. 

Barker's tongue slid across his hole. His eyes rolled back 
in his head, his sob ringing out. The wet lick came 
again, and then Barker's tongue pushed right in. His 
howl rang out, tearing out of his chest, so big, so fierce. 
Barker tongue-fucked him hard and fast, slicking him 
up. 

Words jabbered in his head, the entire universe 
shrinking down into this single point, this moment. 

Marked - 9 

When Barker's tongue disappeared, the man's hard, hot 
cock pressed against his hole in its place. 

Barker didn't move, and Cody knew what the fucker was 
doing: waiting for him to open his fucking eyes. A low 
growl came from the man. He gasped in a breath, 
arching into the sound. Barker's cock didn't breach him, 
though. The man just kept waiting, the low grumble 
resting in his throat. 

"Barker..." He fucking needed. 

"Look at me," growled Barker. 

"They're ugly." They proved his deformity. 

"Look at me." 

"No." His eyes opened, though, his heart pounding. 

"Yes." Barker pushed into him, the thrust hard, landing 
right on his gland. 

"Mate!" He screamed with it, desperate and needy and 
lost with that single thrust. 

Pleasure, pride, and satisfaction filled Barker's eyes, and 
the man began to pump into him. They slammed 
together, rutting wildly, and all Cody knew was need. 
Barker snarled and growled, holding his gaze. So 
beautiful. So wild. He called out, begging for Barker 
with all he was. 

"Mine." The word was little more than a needy snarl. 

Marked - 10 

"I can't be..." He knew that; Barker knew it. He was 
broken. 

"Mine," Barker snarled the word again, slamming into 
him. 

"Fuck..." His teeth gnashed, and the pleasure battered at 
him. 

"Yes." Barker kept pushing into him, kept pulling on his 
cock; he was in sensory overload. 

He couldn't shift, he couldn't come, he couldn't let go. 
Broken, he was broken! 

Barker wasn't looking at him like he was broken. "Come 
on, Cody. Give me what I want." 

He took a sobbing breath, intending to tell Barker that he 
couldn't, but his cock could and did, seed spraying over 
his chest, up onto his face. Barker put his head back and 
howled, heat pushing deep inside Cody. He felt the 
marking, sliding everywhere, spreading Barker's scent. 

Barker collapsed onto him, pressing him into the 
mattress. 

He held on, knowing it would only be for a few minutes, 
knowing that shame would have him running the second 
Barker fell asleep, until the pain and the loneliness drove 
him back close enough to smell his mate. 

A low sound rumbled from Barker's throat, almost a 
purr, and one big hand petted his skin. Cody's body 
arched, knowing that touch deep in his bones. 

Marked - 11 

"Mine." The word was whispered this time, Barker's 
hand wrapping around his arm. 

His answer was to lick Barker's chin -- the act adoration 
and apology all at once. 

That rumble sounded again, Barker clearly pleased. 

Now all he had to do was file every second in his 
memory and wait for his mate to fall asleep. 

Marked - 12 

Chapter Two 

Barker yawned as he woke and stretched. He could feel 
the sweet lassitude in his muscles, the feeling that meant 
he'd had his mate, fucked Cody into the damn mattress. 
Humming happily, he shifted, arm out to find his lover's 
body, to pull Cody in close. 

Only to find nothing but mattress. Cold mattress at that. 
Growling, he sat up and looked around. The place was 
empty; the only thing left of Cody was the man's scent. 

He let out a roar. 

Asshole. Motherfucker. The stupid little son of a bitch. 
Barker was going to kill the piece of shit. 

He got up and threw on his jeans, a T-shirt, and his 
jacket. Then he hit the pavement, nose in the air. Cody 
couldn't have gotten that big a head start on him. 

Ten years. Ten years he'd done this. He'd seen his mate 
on the night before the full moon, tight little body 
outlined by the light, and he'd known this was it. The 
one. His. 

They'd had one night of pure fucking bliss; then the full 
moon had come and Cody hadn't changed. He’d twisted 
and sobbed, body wracked with pain, and all Barker 
could do was watch. After that night, Cody was caught 
between wolf and man -- teeth unnaturally sharp, eyes 
glowing, muscles tight and trapped. 

They'd talked to the Clan, to the healers, and everyone 
had shaken their heads, sighed in sorrow for them. Cody 

Marked - 13 

should die, they’d told him. No one could stay sane. No 
one could be caught like that forever. 

Then William came to him and told him that he had to 
renounce Cody, had to turn away from his mate and 
drive him out to die. He'd snarled, fought the Alpha for 
daring to suggest it, but when the fight was over, Cody 
had been chased out, the scent of fear and blood the only 
thing left. 

Once every few years, Cody had shown up in the city 
and he'd chased his mate down, dragged him home. And 
every time Cody had disappeared again, hiding his 
tracks. 

Barker growled and started following the scent of his 
lover. Cody hadn't covered it up as well this time, or at 
least, it didn't disappear the minute he was out the door. 
Maybe Cody wasn't that far ahead of him. 

His mate needed to stop running, stop hiding, stop 
spending the full moon in agony and alone. Barker knew 
the change was possible. It had to be. His lover was still 
sane. Mostly. Barker wasn't a pup anymore, either. He 
was willing to stand up now, for what was his. Able to. 

He followed Cody's scent to the hotel across the street. 
Across the fucking street. He knew then, suddenly, 
immediately, that Cody sat there, watched him. Asshole. 

He stormed in and went to the front desk. 

A young Asian man smiled up at him. "Good... almost 
morning, sir. Can I help you?" 

Marked - 14 

"Cody Donner. What room?" 

"I'm sorry, sir. Are you on his list of accepted contacts?" 

Barker closed his lips on the growl that wanted out and 
made himself smile. "Of course I am. I knew he was 
here, didn't I?" 

"Can I have your name, please?" 

"No. You're going to give me Cody Donner's room 
number or I'm going to search for the man myself. Floor 
by floor, room by room." He leaned over the counter, 
glaring down, letting the man see just how big he was. 

"You'll have to leave, sir, before I call the police." The 
little man was drawing up, trying to be tall. 

"Barker? James Barker? Is that you, lovely?" 

A tiny little slip of a girl in a maid's uniform bounded up 
to him, rubbed noses with him. Clan. She was Clan. 
"Uncle Barker. It is you." 

He searched his brain for a name before coming up with, 
"Lisa?" 

"Mmmhmm." She waved to the man at the front desk. 
"I'll take care of this guest, Matt. He's family." One arm 
crooked in his. "What are you doing out this time of 
night?" 

"Looking for someone." He aimed a glare back at "Matt" 
and then scented the air again. 

Marked - 15 

Cody was here. Had been here. Recently. 

"One of us?" 

"Yeah. Smaller than me, wearing dark glasses, even at 
night." 

Her face went tight and she shook her head. "He's sick, 
Uncle. There's something wrong with him; I can smell 
it." 

His lips went tight and he stopped her, turned her so 
they were looking eye to eye. "He's mine, Lisa. You 
understand? Mine. You tell me where he is." 

"Oh." The worry turned to pity. "Oh, man. Room 817. 
He always takes it, every time." 

He bit back his snarl, but couldn't stop his growl. "Every 
time?" How often was Cody here? 

"That's the rumor, yeah. He's a regular." 

Dark haired, dark eyes -- she looked just like his sister, 
Yvonne. 

Damn it. A regular. And he'd only seen Cody what? Six 
times in the last ten years? Maybe seven. 

"Tell your mother I said 'hi.'" He patted her shoulder and 
headed for the stairs; no way was he going to have the 
patience to wait for the elevator. 

"I... I will. Do you need room service?" she called after 
him. 

Marked - 16 

He didn't bother to answer, taking the stairs two at a 
time. 

He was pissed off enough that he made it up them 
double time, bursting through the stairwell door and 
jogging down the hall to room 817. He was going to kill 
Cody, the man coming here and watching him, staying 
away more times than not if rumor had it right. 

He banged on the door. "Let me in!" 

The sound from inside the room was sudden, sharp, 
incredibly huge. What the fuck? 

"Cody!" he roared, banging on the door again. 

Doors began to open on either side, people peeking out. 
The door under his hands moved, sliding open the barest 
bit. "Go away." 

"No." He turned from the door long enough to snarl at 
the lookie-lous, and then pushed his way into Cody's 
room, closing the door firmly behind him. 

"Go away." The scents of pain and booze were 
overwhelming. 

"You're hurting." Wasn't he just the king of obvious. He 
growled and grabbed Cody, tugging him close. 

"Go away..." Cody's muscles were jerking, rolling, 
entire body fighting to change. 

Marked - 17 

Fuck, he'd forgotten how bad this was. He hadn't seen 
Cody go through this since the man had first left. 
Somehow, he'd convinced himself it wasn't this bad. "Is 
it like this every full moon?" He pulled Cody to the 
hotel bed. 

"Just go away... You need to go. Tomorrow, you'll 
change. You can't be here." 

"How long does this go on for?" He pushed Cody onto 
the bed and began to work those poor, twisted muscles. 

"Go..." Cody arched, mouth open as he worked, pushing 
on those horrifying knots. 

God fucking damn it, this wasn't right. No one should 
have to go through this, especially not month after 
month. He snarled. "Shut up." 

"Fuck you." Cody sobbed. "Why are you here?" 

"You're my mate." He ground the words out from 
between his clenched teeth. "Do you take anything for 
the pain?" Had Cody ever seen a doctor? He was pretty 
sure he knew the answer to that one would be a big, 
fucking no. 

Cody shook his head. "No. I don't want you to see this." 

"Too fucking bad. Is this helping at all?" He kept 
working, the muscles like stone under his fingers. 

Cody nodded, panting softly as Barker massaged one 
arm, then the other. 

Marked - 18 

"What else helps? Heat? Cold?" 

"Whiskey." The laugh was pained but real. 

"It smells like you've already had plenty." He worked 
the muscles of Cody's back, slowly making his way 
down the poor spine. 

He felt his mate slowly relax, slowly ease into the 
mattress. 

A sound rumbled in his chest. "There. Better." 

Cody's sigh answered him, his mate breathing easy. He 
slowly lay down on top of Cody, feeling each breath. 
Shudders hit the man every so often, but he pressed 
down through them, forcing them to loosen their hold, 
let his mate rest. 

His hand found one of Cody's, and he twined their 
fingers together, holding on. He wasn't going to sleep; 
he was going to watch his mate, protect him. 

And when the son of a bitch woke up and tried to run, 
Barker was going to kill him. 

*** 

The moon. The fucking moon was coming. Cody 
groaned, arched, something warm and heavy easing him, 
holding him down. 

"The moon..." 

Marked - 19 

"It's coming. Like it always does." God, he swore 
Barker's voice got gruffer every time he heard it. 

"Why are you here?" Barker needed to leave. Had to. 
The moon was coming. 

"Because you are." 

He shouldn't have stayed, but he'd kept it too late, waited 
too long. 

"It's like this every time, isn't it? Just as bad as the first 
time. Maybe worse." 

He nodded. It didn't matter. He coped. Mostly. 

"I'm going to kill you." 

Oh, thank the Goddess. "Swear it?" 

Barker punched him in the arm. "Don't be an asshole. 
Why did you keep this from me?" 

"This isn't yours. I'm not Clan. This is mine to deal 
with." 

"Bullshit. You're my Mate. That makes you mine. All of 
you." 

He would give anything for that not to be true, to believe 
that Barker would find another mate. 

"And I'm pissed off. Not only did you keep this from 
me, but I find out today that you're here a lot. A lot more 
than I knew." 

Marked - 20 

"Just go away. I'll leave. I promise." He lied. He 
couldn't. He needed to see Barker sometimes, to smell 
him. 

"Not an option anymore, babe." Barker seemed to 
become heavier, more solid on top of him. "I'm doing 
what I should have done ten years ago." 

The heat seemed to bake into him, ease him, bone deep. 

"We belong together. Everyone knows we mate for life. 
It was wrong of the Clan to kick you out." 

"I'm defective. You know that. Only the strong survive." 
He knew that. He knew. Still, when his family, his pack, 
had come with fire, with guns, with bared teeth, 
something in him had run gibbering from the world. 
Hateful, ugly, half-formed thing. 

"Looks to me like you've done pretty fucking well in the 
survival category. Ten years you've lived with this. Ten 
years of unbelievable pain every full moon. On your 
own. Makes you pretty fucking strong in my book." 
That heat never wavered, never let up. Barker kept 
pressed him down, forcing his muscles to let go. "With 
the two of us, you'll be twice as strong." 

"I won't dishonor you, Mate. I swore it." His need for 
Barker was stronger than anything but his shame. 

"No, instead you abandoned me, spied on me." 

Marked - 21 

His cheeks burned. He hadn't been spying. He simply... 
He had to see. It was a biological imperative. Barker 
was strong enough that the man hadn't needed him. 

He pushed Barker aside, using what little strength he 
had left, and slipped off the bed. "What can I say? I'm a 
shit." He headed for the bathroom. 

Barker's growl came after him, followed by the man 
himself. Grabbing his arm, Barker pulled him back 
around. "Yeah, you are. But you're my shit." 

"Fuck off. You'll change tonight. You have to go. Get 
out of town." He knew that Barker headed into the wilds 
for the change; most of them did. 

"Only if you come with me." 

He wished he could, more than anything. "You know I 
can't." He would be walking bait. Or, more accurately, 
writhing on the ground whimpering bait. 

"Then I'm staying with you." 

"You can't." He pulled away, forcing himself to stand 
strong. "Look. You know how this is; so do I. I'd give 
my balls to be whole, to run with you, but it won't work. 
You can live. Do it." Leave him to his half-light. 

"I won't leave you here on your own." Barker stalked to 
the window, looking out, looking down. "My 
grandfather had a cabin, deep in the woods." 

Marked - 22 

He looked at the door. He knew this place; he could run. 
Hide. He could. He was strong. "I'll be fine." He always 
was. Always. 

"I won't. I need my mate." 

He closed his eyes as a wave of agony and need and loss 
slammed through him. 

Barker's arms wrapped around him. "I'm sorry, Cody, I 
can't let you go this time." 

He moaned, head falling forward. He should have run. 
He should have. He would, as soon as the moon began 
fading. 

He was pulled tight against the solid chest. "Here or in 
the wild, babe. Pick one." 

Cody hadn't ever watched Barker change, after the first 
time. Maybe Barker would turn on him, kill him, in wolf 
form. That would be a blessing. 

"Not here." 

"If we leave now, we can be at my grandfather's cabin 
when the change comes." 

"Fine. I have to pack my things." 

Barker moved to the door and stood in front of it, hands 
folded across his arms. "Go ahead." 

His eyebrow arched. "You don't trust me. I'm hurt." 

Marked - 23 

"I don't trust you not to try and run, no." 

He didn't have much, and it didn't take but a few seconds 
to gather up everything he owned into a duffel bag. He 
worked when he could, saved for his trips here to watch. 

"Come on. My truck's parked around the corner." 

Hopefully he'd never have to come back here. If there 
was a god, Barker would put him down tonight. 

"I'm right behind you." 

Marked - 24 

Chapter Three 

Barker drove like his ass was on fire. He could feel the 
full moon hunting him with every second the sun 
dropped lower in the sky. 

He'd been driving since dawn, pushing his old truck 
hard. He knew Cody would be safe at his grandfather's 
old place. And he could run out there when the change 
took him. And it was far enough out, Cody couldn't 
disappear on him while he was out howling at the moon. 

Cody was silent beside him, skin gray as ash, eyes 
closed. The man smelled sour to him, sick. He rolled his 
window down partway, letting the forest air clear the 
cab out. He needed to find someone who could help 
Cody out, fix him. 

Those glowing eyes cracked open, peering at him over 
the dark glasses. "You need me to drive?" 

"I'm good. We'll be there soon." Out in the middle of 
nowhere, the cabin would be a safe place. Cody could 
lock himself in. 

He got a nod, then the black lenses were pushed back in 
place. 

"You'll like it out here. It's isolated, fresh, clean." 

"You go out often?" 

"Every now and then." It was a good place to go and 
howl at the moon. Every time Cody showed up and then 
disappeared again, he'd go out and run until he was 

Marked - 25 

exhausted, spend some time all on his own. It was 
private. His. Someplace he didn't have to see others; it 
wasn't easy, knowing what he'd lost when Cody hadn't 
changed. 

Where did Cody go? Where was Cody's home, for God's 
sake? Would the man even begin to answer him if he 
asked? 

"So. When you aren't stalking me -- where's your home 
base?" 

"I don't stalk you." 

"No? What do you call it, then?" 

"Weakness. I had to see you. I didn't ever bother you." 

"No. You show up over and over and hide it from me. 
I'm your mate, damn it!" They bounced over the dirt 
road and he slowed back down, hands tight on the 
steering wheel. 

"You deserve better." 

"No, I don't. I don't even deserve you. If I'd stuck by you 
when the Clan said you had to go -- then I'd deserve 
you. I didn't, though, did I?" He'd been young, scared, 
hurting. Not excuses, just reasons why he'd let it happen. 

"No. No one did. I'm not Clan. I didn't belong there." 

"You're mine. That means you belong with me. I've 
hated every second we've been apart. There's a piece of 
me missing when you're not there, Cody." 

Marked - 26 

Cody didn't answer him to begin with, head ducking. 
"I'm fucking sorry. I would never have answered your 
call if I had known." 

He shrugged. "It happened. You're mine. We have to 
deal." He shot a look at Cody. "Better than we have 
been." 

"You could kill me. I've tried to off myself, but..." Cody 
shrugged. "A body wants to live." 

Barker went silent for a long time, working on that one. 
"It's that bad?" 

"What part? Wanting to live? It's ridiculous, but true." 

"I meant the offing yourself part. Cody, you should have 
come to me with this. I would have helped." He was 
going to help now. 

"How? You have a life, a home. You've had lovers, 
friends. I've seen. I'm proud of you." 

He shook his head. "I still can't believe you've been here 
all those times and I never knew. That you were 
watching me and I had no clue." He was an asshole. Of 
course, so was Cody. How could he not have known? 
That scent… maybe a part of him hadn't wanted to 
believe it. 

Cody shrugged. "I just needed to see you. I left for 
weeks at a time. Wandered." 

Marked - 27 

Which brought him back to his original question. "So 
where do you wander to? Where's home?" 

"Wherever. I work when I can. I don't carry much, so I 
move light." 

"So the place you are the most -- that's in that hotel 
room, right across the fucking street from me." Fuck, he 
was a blind fucking idiot. How could he have not 
known? 

"I can see you from there." 

"You know where else you can see me from? My 
fucking place." He nodded at the clearing ahead. "There 
it is." 

Cody looked. "You come here a lot. I can smell you 
here, even from the car." 

"Nothing wrong with your nose," he said softly. 

"No." Cody shook his head. "Nothing wrong with my 
nose at all, or my appetite." 

"There's a cooler in the back full of food for you. I'll get 
something while I'm out tonight." 

He pulled the truck to a stop next to the cabin and 
jumped out to grab the cooler, as well as the pitifully 
small duffel bag that was apparently home to all of 
Cody's worldly possessions. 

Cody seemed tiny in the clearing, oddly foreign and 
draped in layers of sadness. He wanted to take Cody out 

Marked - 28 

under the light of the moon and then run with him, just 
go like the wind, his mate beside him. He would settle 
for coming home to his mate after he'd changed back. 

"Let me have my bag, man. You don't have much time 
left and neither do I." 

"I've got enough time to get you inside. Show you how 
to work the lock." He led the way, shouldering open the 
door. 

Cody followed him, head down, all coat and glasses and 
hat. 

"It's not fancy. There's an outhouse out the back and a 
water pump up front." 

He plopped the stuff down on the floor next to the door 
and prowled around, making sure the windows and back 
door were secure. "It'll keep you safe, though." 

"Come kiss me." 

His eyes widened in surprise -- Cody was usually telling 
him to let go, not drawing him closer. He went, bringing 
their mouths together in a kiss fueled not a little by the 
animal lurking beneath the surface. 

Cody tasted like tears, but the kiss was heartfelt, tongue 
sliding to taste his mouth. He wanted to stay with Cody 
and rut. He wanted to sink into the taste and the scent 
and the feeling of his lover. 

Marked - 29 

It was no time at all before Cody pulled away from him, 
though, a light sheen of sweat covering the lean body. 
"It's time. Go." 

"Look." He showed Cody how to lock the door. "You 
lock it behind me and you don't let anyone in until I 
come back at sunrise." 

"I see how it works." 

"Promise me you're going to lock it and nod let anyone 
but me, as I am now, in." 

"Go, Barker. The sun's down." Cody stripped the shirt 
off him, popped the buckle open on his pants. 

"I want that promise, mate." He let his pants fall down 
around his ankles and worked off his running shoes. He 
could feel the tug of the moon, knew it wouldn't be long. 
"Promise." 

Cody's hand stroked over his stomach, the palm wet 
with sweat, the scent of pain almost unbearable. "Go." 
Then Cody shoved him out the door. 

Snarling, he turned and ran while he still could control 
the animal, ran as far away from the cabin as his legs 
would take him. When the moon's rays hit him, he 
transformed, leaping into his wolf form, four legs now 
taking him through the forest. 

*** 

He watched through the window, watched the man he 
loved more than life do the one thing his body needed to 

Marked - 30 

do more than anything. It was a special kind of hell --
watching heaven through a dirty, cracked window and 
iron bars. He watched as long as he could, then he 
stripped himself down. 

If he was lucky, he'd be dead come morning. If he 
wasn't, at least his clothes wouldn't be fouled and he 
could put them back on. 

Cody found his pocket knife and a bottle of whiskey in 
his duffel, managing to make it out into the clearing in 
front of the cabin before his legs gave out, his body 
writhing on the dirt for a few torturous minutes before 
the wave passed. 

"Please. Please, let it be over. For me. Please let it be 
done. Tonight." He drank deep, then cut a long line 
across his arm, letting the blood flow free. Let Barker 
come for him. 

Either way, Barker was going to kill him. Either the 
wolf would do it, or Barker would be so pissed at him 
tomorrow that the man would. 

Another wave of agony hit him and he convulsed, legs 
and arms slamming into the ground, the knife blade 
pushing deep. Either way worked. 

He heard the lone howl -- Barker, his mate. 

He sobbed, his entire body twisting as his muscles 
jerked and pulled. 

Once. 

Marked - 31 

Once he'd been happy, excited. The change was coming, 
and his life would be whole. He would find his mate and 
he would change. 

The howl came again, closer this time. Barker was 
coming. 

Tears streaked his cheeks and he fought to breathe. He'd 
wanted to be enough, he'd wanted to change, he'd 
wanted to make Barker proud. 

Barker came bounding out of the woods, huge and dark 
gray, eyes shining. 

"Beautiful." He held out his bleeding arm, making a 
clear offer. "Please." Make it stop. 

Barker whimpered and his tongue came out, began to 
lick at his wound. 

He groaned, eyes rolling as his muscles jerked. "Please." 

Still whimpering, Barker kept licking his arm, cleaning 
away the blood. 

"Always a fucking he... oh, fuck..." He writhed, 
screaming as the pain stole his sense. 

Barker threw his head back and howled, then the big 
muzzle pressed against his chest, pushing at him. 

"Kill me." The wolf was inside him, desperate to get out. 

Barker yipped and snarled, kept pushing at him. 

Marked - 32 

"Asshole! Kill me!" He tried to yell, but he didn't have 
the breath to scream. 

Another whimper sounded, Barker head-butting his 
chest again. Then his mate barked and started to lick his 
face. 

He groaned, blinking into those amazing, glowing eyes. 
"Beauty." 

A low growl sounded, almost the same as he'd heard 
when they made love. 

"I... I wanted to run with you, to be yours." He sobbed 
the words out. 

Barker put his head back and howled again, then 
bounded away a few steps before coming back and 
pushing. 

"What do you want?" 

Barker bounded toward him and then away again, 
barking. 

"What? Just... If you're not going to bite me, just go 
play." He started crawling back for the cabin, body 
dragging on the ground. 

Barker pushed under him, pushing him up. 

He howled -- in pain, in frustration, in pure, 
unadulterated fury. Barker drew back and answered his 
howl. Blood dripped from his fingers, down his arm, 

Marked - 33 

staining the ground. Barker whimpered again, licking 
his arm, his face. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, mate. Please. Go. Just go. I 
promise, I'll never bother you again. Never." He began 
to sway, the sound of his heart beating odd and so loud 
in his ears. 

Growling, Barker pushed the wet nose against his chest 
again and again. He reached out, fingers on Barker's fur, 
tangling in the silky mass, holding on. Barker rumbled 
at him, rubbed against him. 

"Mate..." 

So soft. 

Barker yipped, pushed closer to him. 

"I don't know how to help you." He eased himself down, 
too tired to move another inch. 

Barker curled around him, soft and warm, panting 
softly. 

"Mate." His heart beat slower and he pressed into 
Barker's warmth. "Love." 

Barker licked his face. 

Cody thought he'd close his eyes, just for a few minutes, 
stay right here and rest. Barker seemed inclined to stay 
with him, the big wolf soft and warm, making him feel 
protected and safe. 

Marked - 34 

"Please let me die here. Happy." If there were gods, 
they'd hear him. 

Please, let there be gods. 

*** 

Barker snuffled and sneezed, the grass tickling his nose. 
He was curled up on the ground. He blinked -- he didn't 
usually sleep during his time as a wolf. Last night had 
been different, though. Last night he'd stayed with his 
mate. 

Growling a little, he half sat, realizing that Cody was 
there with him, curled up with him. He grunted, 
frowning at the sight of the cut on Cody's arm. What the 
hell was Cody doing out here instead of safely locked in 
the cabin? 

His mate slept hard, face relaxed, peaceful, and for half 
a second, Barker didn't want to kill the little fuck. That 
peace in the way of what he knew had been a painful to 
the soul night was the only reason he didn't wake Cody 
right then and there and tear him a new one. 

There had to be an answer. Had to be. No one would 
keep the man alive so long, in so much agony, if there 
wasn't an answer. He was going to find it, too. 

He stretched, the sun warming his skin. 

Cody's eyes cracked open, looked at him. "You don't 
follow orders worth a fuck." 

Marked - 35 

"I don't follow orders worth a fuck? You're the one who 
didn't fucking lock the door, who came out here where 
anything could have come along and killed you." 

"You were supposed to do it. You just had to be a 
fucking hero, didn't you?" 

Growling, he rolled over onto Cody and grabbed his 
neck in one hand. "You wanted me to kill you? You set 
me up to do it, didn't you?" 

Cody didn't flinch away. "Set you up? I asked. Nicely. 
It's your job, mate, to put me out of my misery." 

He shook his head. "I'm not doing that. You were made 
this way for a reason. We're going to find it." 

"What reason? What? Am I supposed to wander and 
hurt forever? For what? I didn't do anything wrong!" 

Those eyes seemed to have fire in them, and Barker 
swore he could hear the wolf, see it. "We'll get you 
fixed." 

One eyebrow arched. "You think that'll help?" 

He punched Cody in the arm. "You know that's not what 
I meant." He thought Cody had lost it, just a touch. So 
many years of pain would do it, but still. 

Cody bit the air right above his chest. "Stop hitting." 

"Then stop being an idiot." 

"I'm not. I should go. This whole thing is insane." 

Marked - 36 

"No. It isn't. I should have done it a long time ago." 

"Done what? Watch me piss myself and moan? Lose a 
night of running?" 

Look at his mate, at that fury. They'd need that fire, he 
was sure. 

"I should have stayed with you. Fought for you. Looked 
for a cure for you." 

"I don't think there's a cure." 

"There has to be." He stood up and held his hand out to 
Cody. 

Cody reached for him, the knife wound on the lean arm 
almost healed. He grabbed Cody's hand and hauled him 
up, examining the wound. They didn't heal faster as 
humans. They didn't. Cody's beast was in there; they 
needed to figure out how to get it out, how to get his 
body to finish the change. 

"You're my mate and we're going to find a way to make 
you better." 

Cody snorted, turned from him, and stalked inside. 

"Don't you walk away from me!" He snarled and 
followed Cody in. 

"Don't bitch." The door swung back, almost hitting him. 

Marked - 37 

"You spent years spying on me, I think I'm allowed a 
few bitch sessions." 

"Nope." Cody just kept walking away from him. Where 
the fuck did the man think there was to go? 

He kept following, hungry and growly and ready to 
throw Cody up against the wall and either fight him or 
fuck him. Cody's ass was still the finest he'd ever seen, 
lean and tight and pale. He wanted to bite it, fuck it, 
bury himself inside. He walked right up to the man and 
grabbed himself a double handful. 

"Hey!" Cody stepped forward and he held on. 

His. This was his. He growled, squeezed Cody's ass 
tighter. 

"Hands off." Those tight muscles jerked, felt so good. 

"I don't think so." He squeezed again, hard. "These are 
mine." 

"Bullshit." Fuck. Fuck, his wolf was at the surface, 
hungry, demanding its mate. 

"I'll prove it." He whirled Cody around and took that 
mouth. 

Cody tasted like heaven, like truth, and he needed. He'd 
never had his mate, not in the midst of the changing, not 
with the moon heavy just on the other side of the earth. 
He grabbed Cody's ass again, hauling him up close as he 
devoured his mate. He couldn't be gentle, be careful, and 
from Cody's response, he didn't need to be. 

Marked - 38 

He pushed them to the floor as he spread Cody's ass 
cheeks, pushing a finger into that little hole. His. His 
mate. His lover. Barker needed as much now as he had 
ten years ago, when they had been new to this, desperate 
to mate and change. He quickly pushed in another 
finger, knowing he wasn't going to be able to hold back 
for much longer. 

"P...pushy bastard." Yes. And Cody needed him, wanted 
him. 

"Uh-huh." He pushed Cody's legs back, leaving that 
sweet little hole exposed. 

"This isn't a good idea." 

Yes, yes it was. It was a fabulous idea. "You thought it 
was a good idea the other day." He snugged up close, 
pressing his cock against Cody's hole. 

"I..." Cody moaned, that tiny, wrinkled hole kissing the 
tip of his prick. 

"You want me." He nudged a bit forward, holding back 
with all his might. 

"Do I?" The very tip of his cock spread Cody the tiniest 
bit. 

"You do. I can smell you." Groaning, he held it right 
there and then pushed in, sinking into the most amazing 
heat. Cody fit him, the perfection and pure, undeniable 
rightness of this act hitting him square. He stared into 
Cody's glowing eyes. "Mate. Mate. Mate." 

Marked - 39 

"Yes." Not even Cody could deny that, not now, not in 
this space. Not with him buried deep. 

He started thrusting, humping hard into his mate's body. 
Those long fingers dug into his shoulders, near-claw 
digging into him. It felt so fucking good. He put his 
head back and howled out his pleasure. 

Cody jerked on his cock, body moving frenetically on 
him. 

"That's it. Mate. Fuck." He swore he could see Cody's 
face begin to change. 

"Mine," he snarled. "Never going to leave you." 

"You have to..." Cody's body gripped his prick tight. 

"No." He slammed in as he said it. 

Cody's eyes rolled back, a deep growl vibrating in the 
lean chest. 

"Yes. Mate. Mine." He leaned down, bit into Cody's 
shoulder, then nuzzled the long neck, teeth threatening. 
His hips kept pumping, taking what was his. 

"Fuck. Fuck. Barker..." He could feel Cody's heartbeat 
in his lips. 

"Mate." He growled and bit at Cody's neck, marking his 
lover. 

Marked - 40 

Blood coated his lips, and he bit harder, shaking Cody 
the tiniest bit. His mate. His. Sharp barks filled the air, 
Cody calling for him. He growled and barked back, 
giving himself to his mate. 

Cody's ass squeezed him, milked his prick, and for the 
barest second, he could swear he saw wolf. He howled 
again, moving faster, harder, his mate making him wild. 
He smelled Cody's need, felt his lover's orgasm all 
around his prick. 

"Fuck! Yes!" That was his! He howled again, his spunk 
filling Cody as he slammed into the sweet body one 
more time. 

Cody blinked at him, the glow barely visible between 
the heavy eyelids. Naptime, but damn it, he didn't want 
to wake up alone again. 

"No running away this time. Promise me." 

"I can't do that. I have to do what's best for you, mate." 

"Then I have only one option." He grabbed one of the 
pillows and tugged off the pillowcase. Then he used it to 
tie Cody's wrists together. 

"What the fuck?" Oh, look at that outrage. 

"You've been deciding what's best for me for ten years. 
It's my turn now." He dragged Cody onto the bed, and 
then took the other pillowcase and attached Cody's 
bound wrists to the headboard. 

Marked - 41 

"This is ridiculous!" Cody snarled, fought, but the man 
was tired, worn down, and Barker had him. 

"No. You running away from me every time is 
ridiculous. This is me making sure you'll still be here 
after our nap." 

"Let me up, you motherfucker." The fight was lessening, 
Cody easing. 

He curled around his mate's body, petting Cody's skin. 

"I hate you..." Cody was stretching, bunched muscles 
relaxing. 

"Yeah, I hate you, too." He kissed his mark on Cody's 
neck. "Mate." 

"Bas...bastard." Cody's eyes were closed now, breath 
evening out. 

"Uh-huh." 

He patted Cody's stomach and then slipped his hand 
around Cody's hip. They could figure everything out 
later. Right now, he and his mate could rest. 

Marked - 42 

Chapter Four 

Cody was running, legs driving his paws into the dirt, 
the moon calling him. He howled, happy, moving faster. 
His mate's howl answered his. Yes! Yes, running. 
Going. Going. 

He could feel Barker's breath on his neck, his mate so 
close. He chirruped and barked, encouraging Barker to 
go faster. They did, Barker chuffing, breathing hard 
down his neck. He could feel his blood pounding 
through his veins, feel his mate near his tail. 

Barker started petting him, stroking his fur. He panted, 
tail wagging, tongue lolling. So good. 

"Mmm. Mate." Barker bit at his neck. 

He growled softly, not wanting to wake up, not yet. 

Barker's heat was all along his back, his mate's thick 
cock pressing against his ass. 

Please. "Let me dream." 

"We're together here." 

Yes, but in his dream, he was real. 

He sighed and opened his eyes, looking at Barker. 
"Have we slept long?" 

Barker shrugged. "Long enough I'm hungry." 

Marked - 43 

"Go eat." Barker was always hungry. He had the 
metabolism of a wolf. 

"I brought food. Canned beans and shit. A cooler with 
drinks." 

He frowned up; his hands were free. "Did you remember 
a can opener?" 

"There's one here already." 

Cody rolled up, heading outside to do his business. 

"You want beans or beans?" Barker called after him. 

"I don't care." It all tasted like dirt. 

Barker trotted up after him. "Who pissed in your 
cornflakes?" 

"Nobody. I just gotta piss." 

"Well, I'll let you do that." 

"Thanks ever so." 

He hurried into the woods, trying to forget how it had 
felt to run, to have a tail. Barker kept following him, 
standing next to him as they relieved themselves. 

As soon as he was done, he headed back toward the 
cabin, toward the clearing. 

"So you're just going to ignore me now?" 

Marked - 44 

"No. No, I just. Fuck. I just don't know what to say." 
What to do. 

"You can say good morning. You can say it's good to 
wake up together." 

"I was dreaming I could shift." 

"We'll find a way to make it real, baby." 

"I wish." He did. He scooped up his pocketknife, 
sticking it into the ground to clean it off. 

"Hey." Barker grabbed his shoulders and looked into his 
eyes. "We're going to find a way." 

"There isn't a way. If there was, I would have found it." 

"Tell me what you've done." 

"What? I've been to healers, Elders. I've tried bleeding 
out, hunting, hurting." 

"Have you tried scientists? Magic?" 

"Because you know I'm dying to be strapped to a table 
and experimented on." 

"No, it seems to me you're dying for me to off you. Not 
going to happen. We'll go back to the healers, the 
Elders, we'll research. I'm done with living my life 
without my mate." 

"I..." Well, shit. What was he supposed to say to that? 

Marked - 45 

"Yeah, you heard me." Barker grabbed him close and 
kissed him. 

He opened up, the kiss enough to derail him, distract 
him. He'd never been this easy in his skin during the full 
moon. Ever. Barker hauled him up off the ground, still 
kissing him as Barker pulled them into the cottage. 

One more time. That's what he told himself after each 
and every time he gave in to his need. 

The bed hadn't even been made yet, but Barker pushed 
him down on it again. 

"Barker." Horny ass. 

"Shut up and let me love you." 

He stopped, met Barker's eyes. "Don't say that." He 
didn't want Barker to lie. They mated for life; Barker 
had to need him. The man didn't love him. 

"What?" Barker growled at him. 

"You don't love me. Don't say it." 

"You don't know that." 

He looked at Barker, eyes feeling like they were 
burning. "Bullshit! You knew. You knew they were 
coming for me! I was a fucking kid, man! I'd lived with 
the Clan my entire life and I was fucking scared." 

He stepped forward, hand slamming in the center of 
Barker's chest. "Do you have any idea what it's like? To 

Marked - 46 

have your family, your father, your brothers shooting 
bullets at your feet? I had fifty fucking dollars and the 
clothes on my back. Do you know what I had to do? To 
eat? To survive? With these fucking eyes?" 

He shoved Barker away, snarling. "Don't say you love 
me, because I can't believe love would do that." He 
stepped away, shook his head. "You want me. Need me. 
Fine. It's a biological fucking imperative. Leave the lies 
out of it." 

"I was just a kid, too, Cody. Okay, I didn't have it as 
hard as you did, but it wasn't fucking easy for me, either. 
It fucking hurt to have you ripped from my life. And 
yeah, I didn't do anything about it because I was scared, 
too." Barker growled and advanced on him. "If just one 
of those times you'd stayed, maybe it wouldn't have 
been ten years before we started working on this 
together." 

"Leave me the fuck alone." He turned his back on 
Barker. He didn't want to hear how the man had hurt, 
too. He didn't care. He didn't care. 

"I will not. And I know you don't really want me to, or 
you wouldn't have kept coming back to the city to perch 
above me and watch me." 

"I didn't have a choice. I needed to see you, to know you 
were well." 

"You did have a choice. You could have stayed, you 
could have showed yourself more than you did." 

Marked - 47 

He shook his head. No. No, he couldn't have. He'd have 
lost what was left of his mind. 

"I should have fought harder, mate, but I was just a kid, 
too. It takes a stronger man than I was to stand up to 
them. I'm stronger now. And you're not running away 
anymore. We'll work on this together." 

His smile was bitter and he was glad Barker couldn't see 
it. He would run. He had to. It was what he did. He was 
Cast Out. 

"Meanwhile, we need to eat." Barker moved to the tiny 
counter and pulled out a little portable stove, checked 
the gas. 

He dressed, found his dark glasses, his duffel bag with 
his booze. "Will you stay out here all three days?" 

Barker turned around and looked at him. "What the hell 
are you doing?" 

"Getting a drink." He waved the bottle. 

"You're better off with food." Barker opened a couple of 
cans of beans. 

He rolled his eyes and took a long swig, the burn easing 
the growing tension from his muscles. 

Barker didn't say anything else, just poured the beans 
into a pot and plonked it on the burner. Man looked like 
he could use a belt or two. 

"You want some?" 

Marked - 48 

"Not on an empty stomach, and I usually don't on the 
change." 

"Yeah. Does it feel good?" He shook his head. Why 
ask? Why torture himself? 

"What? The change?" 

"Yeah." He took another sip, refusing to look at Barker. 

"It feels like something's missing. Except last night. Last 
night felt almost perfect." 

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak over the huge 
lump of shame in his throat. 

Barker stirred the beans a few times and then grabbed 
two spoons and brought the pot over to the old green 
couch. He put the pot on the coffee table and sat. "Help 
me eat this. You'll feel better with food in your belly." 

There was no way he could swallow, but he went and 
sat. Barker's hand slid over to his knee, stroking his skin. 
Cody ducked Barker's gaze, squeezed his eyes shut and 
focused on breathing. In. Out. In. Out. 

Barker growled. "My touch can't be that awful." 

"No. No, it's fucking heaven." Did he say that out loud? 

"Good." Looked like he had; there was a wealth of 
satisfaction in Barker's voice. 

He stood up, headed for the door. "I need to walk." 

Marked - 49 

"No. You need to eat." Barker growled and was next to 
him, grabbing his arm before he could blink. "Don't 
make me force feed you." 

"Don't snarl at me!" 

"Then stop trying to run away!" 

"I can't!" He didn't know how. 

"Sure you can, you just don't run whenever you see me." 

"You..." He whipped around and stared at Barker. "You 
are insane." 

"What? It's not insane to want to be with your mate." 

"It is if your mate is broken." 

"Not when I want to fix you." 

"I can't. You can't. I've tried." He found himself stepping 
closer; he couldn't help himself. 

"We haven't tried, though." Barker's hands slid around 
his arms and tugged him even closer. 

"It won't work." Barker was so fucking warm. 

"You don't know that." Barker pulled him right up 
against all those muscles, hands moving to slide along 
his back. 

Marked - 50 

"I..." His eyes closed, a deep moan vibrating through 
him. Fuck. Yes. 

"Need me. You might not want to admit it, but that's 
why you've come so close time after time. You need 
me." 

The words rumbled in his ears, the warm fingers landing 
on his ass, squeezing lightly. "I hate you." He leaned in, 
cheek on Barker's shoulder. 

"I know." Barker kissed the top of his head. "You're 
mine, though. And I'm yours." 

He wanted that to be enough, but he knew it wasn't. Not 
for him, not for Barker. 

"We'll figure it out, Cody. Two heads are better than 
one." 

He snorted softly. "What are you? A counselor in your 
day job?" 

"Fuck off. I just know we can't keep going on like this." 

"You could have killed me last night, you know?" 

"That's not an option." Barker's arms tightened around 
him. 

"You were beautiful." He whispered the words. 

"I could feel you, inside." 

"I just hurt." 

Marked - 51 

"We'll get you fixed. We will." 

"Then do it." 

Barker growled at him. He sighed. Like it was that 
fucking easy. 

Barker tilted his head, took his mouth. For this once --
only once more -- Cody let him. The kiss was long and 
slow and devastatingly intense. He found himself getting 
lost in it, arched over Barker's arms, his worry 
dissipating with a pop. 

Barker pushed his shirt out of his waistband, hands hot 
against his skin. The touch was magic, fascinating, and 
he needed it. Barker found his nipples, pinching one and 
then the other, the touches like electricity. His snarled, 
teeth baring, the little ache perfect. Barker snarled in 
reply, teeth grazing along his lips. 

Son of a bitch. Hot bastard. Lover. Mate. His. 

Barker grabbed his ass and tugged him back over to the 
bed, fingers snagging in his clothing. He went eagerly, 
hands running over Barker's skin. Something tore, but he 
didn't care, not once Barker's hands were on his skin and 
that fine body pressed up against him. 

"Please. I need." He didn't want to think anymore. 

"I've got you." Barker pressed him down into the 
mattress, mouth covering his. 

Marked - 52 

He opened up, let himself have this fully, completely, 
his entire body aching -- but from need, not shame. 
Barker slid between his legs, cock finding his hole and 
nudging it, pushing against him. 

"Please." He bore down, took Barker in. 

"So fucking tight, mate." Barker pushed in and in, filling 
him up so good. 

"Need." He did, fiercely. Wildly. 

Nodding, Barker started to fuck him, cock driving into 
him nice and hard, just like he needed. He'd never been 
fucked during the full moon. Never. And it was so good. 
Barker's eyes glowed down at him, low growls and deep 
rumbles coming from his mate's throat. 

He knew his eyes matched Barker's, and he arched, 
demanding it, demanding more and harder and oh, fuck 
yeah. His mate gave it to him, gave him everything, hard 
and fast and strong. The pleasure was huge, 
overwhelming him, and he didn't fight it, let it take him. 

Barker howled, the sound calling to something deep, 
deep inside him. His voice answered Barker's, the sound 
tearing from him. They humped and rutted together, 
bodies twisting, trying to merge into one. 

"Help me. Fuck. Help me." He wasn't sure if he was 
making sense at all. 

Barker's hand wrapped around his cock, tugging it hard 
with every thrust into his body. His orgasm was caught 
inside him, trapped, swelling and filling him. Barker's 

Marked - 53 

mouth closed on his, the kiss leaving him absolutely 
breathless. He screamed out in pure need, pure 
frustration. 

Faster, harder, Barker slammed into him endlessly. The 
tension circled inside him, spun within him, faster and 
faster, more and more maddening. Growling, Barker bit 
his neck hard, marking him where anyone could see. 

He sobbed, then Barker bit again, teeth sinking in, 
punching through his skin, and he screamed, seed 
pulsing out of him. Barker's spunk pushed into him as he 
came, the howl filling the cabin. 

Everything in him shuddered, shook; he bit at the air. 
Barker's mouth stayed open on his neck, breath hot 
against his skin. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. 

"I have you, mate." 

His eyes rolled, and he keened. Barker answered the 
sound, with him, right there. 

Something inside him twisted, growled, trying to escape. 

Barker stayed buried, mouth open on his throat. "Mate." 

He nodded, yipping, trying to agree. 

"Yes." Barker's voice growled and rumbled, vibrated 
against his skin. 

He needed to move, to run. Something. 

Marked - 54 

Barker slid out of his body and looked down at him, 
"Come outside with me, mate. Into the woods." 

He looked at the food, then nodded, stood, nose 
twitching. Barker grabbed his hand and pulled him up, 
not even letting him get dressed again before going out 
the front door and running with him into the woods. He 
groaned, toes digging into the dirt, the scents of the 
forest overwhelming. 

Barker moved faster and faster, tugging him along as 
they moved deeper into the forest. He kept up, legs 
muscles burning, heart pounding, and it all felt so good. 
Barker put his head back as they ran and howled, the 
sound again calling to something deep inside him. An 
answer tore out of him, seeming to split his chest. 

Little yips and howls came from Barker in reply, even a 
breathless chuff. Mate. His mate. He laughed, the sound 
completely inhuman and odd, but happy. They just went 
and went, Barker running them deeper into the forest. 

The sunlight was dimmer here, dappled, the world black 
and white and gray. He hadn't thought he would be able 
to run so far and so long, but somehow, with Barker, it 
was easy. They stopped, panting, ending on hands and 
knees, hands like claws in the fallen leaves. 

Barker laughed, rubbing their cheeks together. He licked 
Barker's chin, growling happily. Mate. Barker bit at his 
neck, a happy growl matching his own. Those teeth 
found that same mark, the sting wild, sharp. Barker's 
growls got louder, vibrating inside him. 

Marked - 55 

His head ducked, and he offered his mate his nape. 
Barker took it, teeth sinking in, the heat from his breath 
warming Cody through. His body shuddered, his spine 
arching up. Barker's growls got louder, possessive. 

He yipped, hips canting up and offering his submission. 
Alpha. Mate. Barker laughed, hands running over him, 
rubbing hard over his shoulders and along his spine. He 
arched, stretching hard, the touch delicious, perfect. 

"You're beautiful," murmured Barker, that great, growly 
voice almost making him shiver. 

He leaned over, licked his mate's wrist, panting at the 
flavor. Barker held his hand out, offering his palm for 
more licking. Mate. Mate. The flavor filled him, soothed 
him, and he flopped down, relaxing on the soft ground. 

Barker landed on the ground with him, wrapping around 
him. 

"Mate," whispered Barker. "So good, mate." 

He chuffed his agreement. 

So good. 

So good, mate. 

Marked - 56 

Chapter Five 

Barker lay curled around his mate. His very furry, four-
legged wolf mate. Somehow, someway, Cody had 
changed while they'd run, turning into a gorgeous, 
russet-coated wolf. The man was beautiful. And a wolf 
during full sunlight. It shouldn't have been possible. 

And yet, there Cody was. 

He rubbed the beautiful, soft fur, giving Cody some 
loving. Cody's tail wagged, tongue lolling. The closed 
eyes cracked open, glinting at him. 

"Hey, mate." He grinned, rubbed Cody's nose. That 
tongue lapped at his fingers, hot, wet. He could howl 
with joy. Look at his mate. "Beautiful. God, you're so 
beautiful." 

Cody rolled over, head landing in his lap, heavy and 
perfect. 

He kept petting, talking softly. "I don't get why you 
changed during the day, but I think the important thing 
here is that you changed, huh? Who knew running in the 
forest would do it?" 

Clay blinked up at him, chirruping softly. 

He tilted his head. "You aren't, like, stuck like that now, 
are you? Because it would suck if you finally changed, 
but you were a wolf while I was a man and vice versa." 

Cody looked at him, barked once, then scrambled to his 
feet, eyes rolling. 

Marked - 57 

"Hey, hey." Barker went onto his knees, hands reaching 
for his mate. 

The little barks were frightened now, and he realized 
suddenly that Cody hadn't noticed. Cody didn't know. 

"Mate. Love. It's okay. You've shifted. You made it!" 
He stroked his hands along Cody's flanks. 

Those lean muscles shuddered, shivering against him, 
pushing into his hands. 

He stroked and rubbed, nuzzling his cheeks against 
Cody's furry ones. "This is a good thing, Cody. This is 
what we wanted. You can shift. You shifted! In the 
daylight!" 

Cody panted, body shivering, wavering between wolf 
and human. 

"Okay, mate. Imagine kissing me. You need to be 
human to do that, because trust me, I'm not going to kiss 
that muzzle of yours, so you need to be human for that, 
okay?" 

Cody's head bobbed, the change hard, unsteady, leaving 
Cody boneless, gasping for air, and mostly human. 

"Okay. Okay. See? There you go." He touched Cody's 
naked body, hands sliding, making sure his lover was 
okay. 

"M...mate." Cody blinked at him, obviously dazed. 

Marked - 58 

"Yeah. Yeah, that's me." He laughed and pressed their 
lips together. Wow. Just... wow. 

Cody's eyes weren't glowing. They were human, blue, 
normal. Barker gasped. 

"What? What's wrong?" 

"Your eyes..." 

Cody closed his eyes, turned away from him. 

He tugged Cody back around. "Look at me, babe. Look 
at me." 

Cody blinked up, looked at him with those pretty eyes. 
Those normal eyes. 

"Your eyes are blue." 

"Really?" Cody blinked, hands lifting to his face. "You 
promise?" 

"I swear to God, Cody. You have blue eyes. And you 
were just a wolf. You shifted." 

"But... But I can't. It's not nighttime." 

"I know. Weird, isn't it? But you changed, plain as... 
well, day. And now your eyes are blue. My God, your 
eyes are blue." 

"What..." Cody started shivering, chest heaving. "I. I. 
I..." 

Marked - 59 

Barker wrapped around his mate, holding on. 

"I don't. I can't..." The lean muscles were heaving, the 
wiry body trying to shift again. 

Fuck. Barker pressed his mouth on Cody's, pushing his 
tongue in. 

Cody grabbed him, kissed him back, then pulled back, 
eyes glowing. "I changed?" 

"You changed. I think you're getting ready to do it 
again. Can you feel it?" 

"I feel... breathless." 

"But not in pain. Not anymore, right?" 

"No. No, tight. I feel tight." 

"That's the full moon. Even when it's on the other side of 
the world, it calls to the beast, makes it heavy, big." 

"Yes. Heavy. It's heavy." Cody was panting, face trying 
to elongate. 

"Change if you need to. Let it happen -- don't fight it." 
He couldn't believe this was happening in broad 
daylight. 

"I don't know ho-oooooooooooooooooooo." The word 
turned into a howl, his mate growing heavy, more solid 
in his arms. 

It was beautiful to see the long body settle into its form. 

Marked - 60 

"Oh, mate. Beautiful. Really. You are." 

Cody wagged, tongue lolling. Laughing, he scratched 
Cody's ears and petted the soft fur. 

"I can't believe it, mate." 

Cody leaned into him, tongue on his thigh. 

"You're going to have to wait until tonight to run with 
me, mate." Another horrible thought occurred to him. 
What if Cody could only change during the day? Barker 
could only change at night. That would be... well, better 
than Cody not being able to change at all. 

Cody chuffed, nudged him. He wasn't sure how much 
Cody understood, how much Cody heard. 

"I can run a little, I guess." He chuckled, looking down 
at himself. "Back to the cabin before I burn anything 
important, huh?" 

Cody barked, bounced, and he laughed at the pure, 
unadulterated joy. 

"Come on, then!" He turned and started to run back the 
way they'd come. 

Cody nipped at his heels, chuffing, barking at him. 

"I'm going as fast as I can!" 

Cody stopped, sniffed, ears twitching. Someone was 
hunting. 

Marked - 61 

"We could go together tonight, mate." 

Hunting. He could hunt with his mate. He wanted to 
scream with joy. So he did. He ran and ran, Cody at his 
heels, and he shouted to the trees, to the earth and the 
sky. His mate! His mate was whole! He shouted harder, 
ran harder, laughed as Cody nipped at his heels. 

They hit the cabin, Cody leaping, jumping on the bed. 

He shook his head, panting hard. "You're going to have 
to change back if you want that, mate." 

Cody rolled, tail thumping. He pounced on his mate, 
fingers digging into the lovely, thick hair. The belly fur 
was incredibly soft, thick, white. Beautiful. 

"Mate." Fuck, he was so proud. 

Cody's paws stretched, batting the air. He could see 
Cody trying to change again, trying to shift. 

"Yeah, that's it. It'll be easier with practice. Think of 
being human, of kissing me with real lips." 

Those pretty eyes fastened onto his. So fine. 

"Come on, Mate. I want to celebrate with you. Kiss you. 
Take you. Revel in the fact that you changed!" 

He could see Cody, the human, coming to the fore, so 
close. 

"You can do it, mate. It just takes practice." 

Marked - 62 

Cody panted, slowly, painstakingly coming back to him. 

"There you are." He pressed kisses over Cody's face, 
then took his mouth. "God, you're something else, Cody. 
Mate." 

"I shifted." Cody looked stunned. 

He laughed and rolled Cody beneath him, rubbing 
against the warm body. "You did!" 

"I did. Did you see?" 

"Of course I saw! You're gorgeous, mate." 

Cody kissed him. "What changed? What happened?" 

"I don't know. But you changed without the moon. 
During the day. Full sun. While we were running..." 

"We don't change in the daylight." 

"I know. But you did." Of course, he was still worried it 
might mean that Cody couldn't change under the moon's 
light. 

"Still a freak." Cody winked, and he heard the worry in 
those words. 

"Hey, you can change. Let's take that as a good sign, 
okay? Let's enjoy that." He kissed Cody hard again. 
"And you're mine." 

"Stubborn." Cody wrapped around him, arms and legs. 

Marked - 63 

"Yeah, well, it works for me." He held onto Cody just as 
tightly. 

"Mate. I changed." 

"You did. My mate. I can't wait for sundown." 

"What... what if I don't?" 

"You will." He put everything into the two words. 

Cody smiled at him and, for the first time in... forever, 
Cody trusted him. He pressed their lips together, 
opening and pushing his tongue in. 

No matter what happened, they were together. 

*** 

They ate. They slept. They slept hard. Cody hadn't slept 
without pain in a decade, so he wallowed in it. Barker 
said he changed three times in his sleep. In his sleep, 
like it was easy. 

Barker was curled up around him, hand on his belly. 
Every now and then, Barker would nuzzle his neck, 
breathe in. He hummed softly, eyes closing again, the 
relief of being pain free almost making him light. 

"Smiling. Mate. Can you feel the moon coming?" 

"All I know is that it doesn't hurt." 

"That's wonderful, Mate." Barker laughed. 

Marked - 64 

He nodded, chuffed softly. "I'm glad you were here." 
Even if it never happened again, he was glad Barker had 
been part of it. 

"Me, too. You changed during the day, mate! I just can't 
believe it. Except that I saw it." 

"Do you think it'll happen again?" He wanted it to. He 
wanted to change with the moon. 

"The sun's going down. It'll happen. You and me, we're 
going to run. We're going to hunt tonight together." 

He squeezed Barker's fingers. "What if I don't know 
how to hunt?" 

"I'll teach you, mate." 

He nodded, decided to just let go for a minute or two 
and stop worrying. 

Barker rubbed their cheeks together and whispered, 
"Everything's going to be just fine, mate." Then Barker 
took his mouth, body rubbing against his, pushing him 
into the mattress. 

It was so easy to open, to feel without the constant 
pressure of shame and pain everywhere. Barker tasted 
like pleasure and excitement, and his hands felt like 
heaven on Cody's skin. His hands started exploring, 
searching Barker's chest, tugging on the dark curls. 
Grunting, Barker pushed against him, their cocks 
bumping, sliding. 

Marked - 65 

He groaned. "Fuck my mouth." He wanted to know if 
Barker tasted different. 

Growling, Barker broke their kiss and climbed his body, 
knees coming to rest against his pits. The thick cock, 
drop of liquid on the tip, was right there for him. 

"Mate. Want you." He grinned up, hands drawing 
Barker in. The flavor exploded inside him and he 
growled, suddenly ravenous. 

Barker grabbed hold of the headboard and pushed his 
cock in deep, a low sound torn from his throat. 

Hungry. He was so hungry. He pulled hard, swallowed 
around the tip of Barker's prick. 

"Fuck! Mate!" Growling, Barker began to rock his hips, 
cock sliding out and back in again. 

He sucked harder, faster, needing more than he'd ever 
needed this. Barker seemed to pick up on his hunger, the 
thick cock pushing in faster and faster, spreading his lips 
wide. The flavors were huge, wild, like Barker, but 
more. Bigger. 

Barker moaned and groaned, pushing in almost 
desperately. He clamped down, lips around the base of 
Barker's cock, pulling hard. 

"Mate!" Barker cried out, humping into his mouth a 
couple of times before come poured down his throat. 

Cody's cock bobbed, his balls tightening as he was filled 
with the scent and taste of his mate. One of Barker's 

Marked - 66 

hands slid through his hair, pushing it back over his 
face. He licked and lapped, cleaning that fat prick off. 

"Fucking good, mate." Barker pulled slowly out. "What 
do you want?" 

He grabbed Barker's hand, got it around his aching cock. 
It wouldn't take much. A pleased sound rumbled from 
Barker's throat, the hand around his cock tugging and 
tight. He met Barker's eyes, panting. 

"Mate." Barker growled out the word. 

"Yes. Yes, your mate. Fuck, tell me I'm not dreaming." 

"You're not dreaming, Cody. Doesn't this feel real?" 
Barker squeezed his cock tight. 

"Yes. God, yes. Mate, I changed! I don't hurt and the 
moon is coming!" 

"It is. Soon. Come for me before the sun sets, mate." 

He nodded, his toes curling. "Harder." 

Barker rubbed the tip of his prick, pushing into his slit 
before the jacking off got harder. 

"Fuck. Fuck, I. Mate." Mate. 

"Mine." Barker put his head back and howled. 

He shot, his entire body jerking with it. 

Marked - 67 

Groaning, Barker rubbed his come into his belly, eyes 
holding his. 

"Yours." He moaned, the sound rumbling through him. 

"That's right." He could see Barker's eyes begin to glow, 
the room getting darker as dusk crept in. 

"Tell me I'll change, too." 

"You will. We'll change together and we'll run, mate. 
We'll run through the forest and hunt and howl at the 
moon." 

"You swear it?" He would believe. He would. 

"I swear it, Mate." 

Barker's eyes were getting brighter, his voice even 
rougher. 

"M-m-m-m-m-mate." 

He groaned, his muscles rolling, and he tensed in 
anticipation of pain. When it didn't come, he barked, 
happy. Barker leaped from the bed, barking in reply, 
calling to him. He bounced over, tail wagging furiously. 
Barker bit at his muzzle, growling and barking. 

Mate! Mate! His world spun and he pounced, nudged, 
whined with excitement. 

Barker licked him once and then bounded away, 
barking, calling him to follow his mate into the woods. 
His paws dug into the ground, claws catching as they 

Marked - 68 

ran. Barker turned, running a circle around him, chuffing 
happily. He followed, head down, nostrils twitching. 

Barker began to weave through the trees, following his 
nose. He followed, curious, sniffing. Barker barked and 
waited there, vibrating. Cody crept closer, nose to the 
ground, then he smelled it, suddenly, violently. Food. 
Food. Barker yipped, nosed him, and took off. Food. 

He followed, running at his Alpha's heels, entire focus 
on the hunt, on the prey, the... rabbit. Rabbit. He slowed, 
getting deep in his haunches. His Alpha was ahead of 
him, perfectly still, ready to leap. Both ears twitched, his 
Alpha's nose scenting madly. 

His mate leapt and he circled as fast as he could, his 
body knowing to keep the prey in range of those 
flashing, sharp teeth. The scent of blood made him 
growl. Barker took down the rabbit, looking smug and 
licking his jowls. The belly was torn open, his mate 
taking the tender meats inside before stepping back, the 
offer to feast clear. 

He yipped, dancing for a moment in pure ecstasy before 
he snapped and bit, the scents and flavors filling him. 
Hunting! Eating the kill! How his belly rumbled and 
snarled as he filled it for the first time like this. 

His mate barked, the sound joyful. He licked his paws, 
his muzzle, his nose. Good. So good. 

Barker licked his cheek and then bounded off, calling to 
him. More running! More hunting! Everything in him 
screamed for him to follow that happy tail. 

Marked - 69 

So he did. 

*** 

Sunrise found Barker panting by a stream, worn out 
from hunting and running and playing with his mate. 

It had always been a pleasure to run through the woods, 
but to do so with his mate... well, it would make him 
angry to know that he'd somehow missed this for ten 
years, that it had been stolen from him and Cody, except 
that anger would take away from the joy he now felt. 

He lay down and let the sun melt away his wolf, his 
body changing once more into human. 

Man, they had quite the hike to get back to the cabin --
they needed to end their nights closer to home. 

He turned to share the thought with Cody, gasping when 
he saw the lovely wolf that was his mate. Once again, 
the moon had gone, but Cody was still a wolf. 

Reaching out, he scratched behind Cody's ears. "I've 
never seen a shifter in the sunlight before you." It was 
amazing. Doubly so now that he wasn't afraid that Cody 
was cursed with being able to change during the sunlight 
but not the moonlight. 

Cody panted, tail thumping the ground. 

"You can shift back if you want to, though, right?" 
There was just that one niggling doubt. 

Those glowing eyes looked at him, confused. 

Marked - 70 

Shit. What if... no. No, Cody had been able to change 
back and forth before. "Shift for me, mate. Become 
human." 

Cody rumbled softly, panting hard, and he could see it, 
see Cody willing the change. No one could do that --
change at will. No one but his amazing mate. 

He was laughing and clapping by the time Cody was 
done, was human and naked in front of him. "You're 
incredible." 

Cody blinked up at him. "I shifted." 

"Yeah, Cody, you did. Because you wanted to. Not 
because the sun or the moon made you, but because you 
wanted to." 

"I... I'm sore." 

"All that running -- using muscles you never have 
before. I bet you're sore." He slipped down and sat 
behind Cody, started rubbing his lover's shoulders. 

"I... We hunted." Cody moaned, head dropping forward. 

"We did. We hunted, we ran, we were beasts. All night 
long." 

"We did. It was real. It didn't hurt." Cody was going to 
shake apart in his hands. 

Marked - 71 

He wrapped his arms around his mate, holding on tight. 
"It was real and you're special, mate. You can change 
whenever you want to. You're the only one." 

The sobs started in a rush, harsh and violent, wracking 
Cody's body. 

"Cody? Mate? What's wrong?" 

"I..." 

He ran his hands over Cody -- there wasn't any tension, 
any stiff spots. Nothing was broken or bruised, not so far 
as he could tell. "Mate!" The word was almost a bark. 

"All these years... I... I don't hurt." 

"That's a good thing, mate." 

Cody nodded and he got it, all of a sudden. The fear, the 
pain, the pressure -- everything that had been holding 
Cody together was suddenly, unexpectedly gone. He 
held on tight to Cody. "It's okay, mate. It's okay. I have 
you." 

"Have me. Oh, God. Mate." 

"Yes. My mate. Never going to let you leave me again." 

"You can't promise that." 

"Go ahead." He growled at Cody. "Just try and leave 
me." 

Marked - 72 

Cody growled back, and the Alpha rose up in him, 
sharper and faster than he'd ever experienced. 

He rolled Cody onto his back, throwing himself down 
on top of his mate. "Not leaving me. NOT." 

"We're in the dirt on the ground." 

"So?" A little dirt never hurt any wolf. 

"I." Cody blinked at him. "You're different." 

"What? I am not!" He was the same growly bastard. 
Even if he did have his mate with him now. 

"You are. You're different." 

"I am not. I'm still me. Just like before." Cody was the 
one who was different, those eyes so pretty. 

"You are, too." Cody was panting, breathing hard. "Let 
me up." 

"What are you talking about?" He got up, hauling Cody 
up with him. 

"You're... I don't know. Hotter. Whatever." Fucking 
fickle little bastard, trying to walk away from him. 

He snorted. "I was always this hot." He kept hold of 
Cody's hand and started heading back for the cabin, the 
sun warm and good on his skin. 

"Bullshit." Cody relaxed, though. "You growled less." 

Marked - 73 

"Now I know you're full of it. I've always growled." 

"Only a little." 

It was his turn to call bullshit. "Okay, maybe you're 
fucking different." 

Cody looked over at him, eyes rolling. 

"You are, mate. You're whole now." 

"I'm yours." In a way Cody never had been, never 
before. 

"You are." He drew Cody in and kissed him, hard. This 
was theirs. It belonged to both of them and after ten long 
years, they finally had it. 

Before, he could cat around, find a man and fuck him 
into the ground, dull the urge. Now the thought made 
him rumble and the idea of anyone touching Cody made 
him snarl. Even just thinking it made him growl, and he 
started pulling Cody back to the cabin again 

"Barker?" There was a heady mixture of lust and 
curiosity in that single word. 

"We need a bed." Much as he'd like to make his claim 
up against the nearest tree, he figured Cody would 
appreciate his holding back. 

"For what?" 

"What do you think for?" Couldn't Cody feel it? The 
need to mate, to merge into his lover. 

Marked - 74 

He got a wild, toothy grin. "Tiddlywinks?" 

He reached down and goosed Cody. Cody snapped at 
him, teeth almost grazing his skin. It riled him up, made 
him need even more and he pushed Cody up against that 
nearest tree, taking that toothy mouth. His mate tasted 
like magic, like heat and need and things that he didn't 
understand. 

"I want you." It was a huge understatement. 

"Take me, then." Challenging little fuck. 

Growling, he fused their mouths back together, tongue 
pushing in as he pressed his mate harder against the tree. 
Cody's legs wrapped around his waist, his mate holding 
on tight. 

"That's fucking it." He nodded and dove back into the 
kiss, his fingers finding and pushing into Cody's hole. 

The howl that pushed between his lips was almost 
enough to make him come right there. He swallowed it 
down and shoved his fingers deep, spread them as wide 
as he could a few times, working to get Cody's body 
ready for his prick. For his claiming. The heat, the 
pressure was familiar; he remembered it from the first 
time, from the first, wild night. 

"Mine." He wanted to howl the word out, but his throat 
was wrong for the sound. Instead, he pulled out his 
fingers and lined up his prick with Cody's ass. 

Marked - 75 

"Prove it." Cody's eyes were glowing, the energy 
between them fiery, alive. 

Growling, snarling, he pushed his cock in, slamming it 
home. Cody's cry echoed, birds flying up out of the 
trees. 

"Yes! Mine!" He pushed in with every word, thrusting 
into glorious, tight heat. 

"Harder. Harder. Take me." Cody slammed down onto 
his cock, body shuddering around him. 

Biting at Cody's lips, he ramped up his thrusts, taking 
Cody hard. He could taste the copper of Cody's blood, 
smell his mate's need. Harder and harder, he pushed into 
Cody, spreading the tight ass. Cody's chin lifted, belly 
and throat offered to him. 

Oh, fuck, his. He leaned in and bit at Cody's neck, teeth 
grabbing hold. The smell of come hit his nose even as 
Cody's taste filled his mouth. Growling around Cody's 
flesh, he came, too, filling his mate with his scent. 

Something deep inside him reset; something that had 
been broken and wrong and off clicked into place. 
Putting back his head, he howled out his pleasure and 
his happiness. 

Cody's head landed on his chest, heavy, hot. "Mate." 

Yes. Yes! Panting, he nodded, patted Cody's back. Yes. 
His Mate. Here. Whole. Finally. 

Marked - 76 

Pressing their foreheads together, he looked into Cody's 
eyes and breathed with his mate. It was a perfect 
moment, and he wasn't going to let it go. 

Marked - 77 

Chapter Six 

Cody woke up in Barker's arms, the late afternoon sun 
pouring through the windows. He kept his eyes closed, 
breathed slowly, and let himself enjoy the sensation of 
not hurting. He took one deep breath after another, not 
sure he believed this was real. Barker muttered 
something and tightened his hold. 

"Mmm." He let himself trust, let himself lean back into 
Barker and be held, be kept close. He never believed this 
could happen, but it had. He'd felt it, that click inside his 
soul, the release of this terrible, maddening tension. 

Barker nuzzled into his neck. "Mate." 

"Yes." He nodded, accepting that undeniable fact with 
more than a little joy. 

Barker's eyes popped open and he grinned. "Look at 
you. Look at your eyes." 

"What?" His eyes crossed as he tried to see. 

"They're a gorgeous blue." 

"Yeah?" Oh, God. "No more sunglasses?" 

"Only if it's sunny." 

All of a sudden it was hard to breathe, to focus. "Mate." 

"Yeah. That's me." Barker gave him a grin, easy and 
lazy and happy. 

Marked - 78 

He leaned up, brought their mouths together. Barker 
kissed him back eagerly, low sounds filling him. Their 
bodies fit together and he moaned, the sounds bubbling 
out of him easily. 

Barker rolled him onto his back, the big body following, 
pushing him down. The weight was good, necessary. He 
stretched, spread, his cock beginning to take notice. 

"Needy mate." 

"Fuck off." He grinned, licking and lapping Barker's 
chin. 

"That's the idea, babe." 

"Your dick's gonna fall off." 

"I've got ten fucking years to make up for." 

He thought about bringing up the fact that Barker hadn't 
exactly been virginal, but the heavy body felt so good 
that he didn't want to fuck it up. Yet. 

"I know you want me." 

"Do you know? How do you know that?" He was 
willing to play. 

"This gives me a bit of an idea." Barker's hand dropped 
to his prick, wrapping around it. 

He intended to snap back with something clever and 
sharp, but what came out was a soft, low moan. Barker 
hummed and pressed their lips together, tongue 

Marked - 79 

invading, taking. The flavor of his mate filled him, and 
he found himself pressing closer, searching for more. 

"See?" Barker gave him a smug look and then dove back 
into his mouth. 

It was all he could do to reach down, pinch Barker's ass. 
Barker snarled and bit at his bottom lip. The sting made 
him cry out, growl, and bare his teeth. Barker nodded 
and growled back, this kiss full of teeth and hunger. 

He was pressed into the uncomfortable mattress, his 
mate heavy, weighted above him. One kiss after another 
stole his breath. The room started swimming, the 
universe swinging from side to side. 

"Fuck. Mate." Barker moaned and groaned, the words 
almost growls and barks as their bodies moved together. 

He leaned up, bit Barker's shoulder, shaking his lover 
gently. His. It made his mate howl. His cock throbbed, 
aching where the tip rubbed against his belly. Barker 
rubbed their lower halves together, skin dragging along 
his. 

"So hot." Had Barker always been so hot? 

They rolled off the bed, landing on the floor in a heap. 
He blinked down at Barker, elbows landing on either 
side the man's head. Wow. Laughing, Barker leaned up 
to press more kisses on him. 

"Nut." God, that laugh. That laugh. He hadn't heard 
Barker really laugh in so long. 

Marked - 80 

"No, yours." 

"I missed you." Every second. Every day. 

"Ten fucking years, babe." Barker's mouth went to his 
neck, bit hard. "Mine now." 

"Fuck!" He arched, body bowing above Barker's. 

"That's right, Cody. All mine." Barker growled, teeth 
going back to worrying his neck. "Gonna mark you so 
everyone knows." 

He groaned, pulled back, teasing. 

"Not getting away," Barker grumbled. 

"Are you sure? I'm very good at it." 

"You are. But I'm done letting you escape, letting you 
go. I told you that before you suddenly started 
changing." 

"You did." He met Barker's eyes, then leaned down, 
brushed their lips together. "You did. Mate." He loved 
the son of a bitch; he always had. 

Barker beamed at him. "I can't wait to bring you home 
so we can thumb our noses in the Elders' faces." 

He reared back. "What?" 

"They made you go and they were wrong. Now we can 
prove it to them -- we have our lives, Cody, the ones we 
dreamed of that first night." 

Marked - 81 

"No. No, I won't go back. I'll never go back there." Not 
now. Not ever. 

"What? Why not?" Barker frowned at him. "That's our 
home. You came back time and again before." 

"I won't see the Elders." He shuddered and pulled away, 
stood. They'd burned him, cut him, driven him away. 

"They're going to want to see you. I think they're kind of 
going to insist." Barker got up, too. "We can't just not go 
back. It's our home." 

"No. It's your home. I don't have one." That had been 
made perfectly, impeccably clear. 

"Of course you do -- with me. You're my mate." 

He sighed, shook his head. "There isn't a place for me 
there." 

"Of course there is -- you're my mate." Barker kept 
repeating that as if it was the answer to everything. 

"I'm not seeing them. Period." Ever. 

"Fine. You're still coming home with me. I told you I'm 
not letting you get away again." Barker's chin had a 
stubborn set to it. 

Stubborn was something Cody excelled at. "We'll see." 

Barker grabbed his arms and pulled him into a hard kiss. 
"You'll see." 

Marked - 82 

"You can't solve everything with sex." A lot, sure. 

"I'm just proving you're mine is all." 

He couldn't help but wonder what his life would have 
been like if he had been Barker's from the beginning. 

Barker frowned at him. "You're thinking." It almost 
sounded like an accusation. 

"People with brains do that." Sometimes. 

"Well, I wouldn't know about that." Barker winked at 
him. 

"About having brains?" He grinned back, loving that the 
tension was easing. 

"Yep." Barker crossed his eyes and let his tongue hang 
out for a minute before going, "Braiiiiiiiiiiines." 

He burst out laughing, launching himself into Barker's 
arms. Such a neat man. He'd missed playing, so badly. 
They'd played together since they were boys. Barker fell 
back onto the bed, bringing him down as well, grinning 
at him. His fingers dug into Barker's ribs, searching out 
ticklish spots. 

"Fuck!" Barker swore and wriggled, trying to get away 
from his tickling. 

He chuffed softly, digging in deeper. Barker's laughter 
got louder; he wriggled harder. 

Marked - 83 

"I've got you now!" He leaned down, nipped at one 
nipple. 

Barker jerked, still laughing, hands moving to hold him 
in place. Jesus, the son of a bitch was strong. "I've got 
you now." 

Something deep inside him shivered, his cock going 
suddenly, painfully hard. Barker growled softly and 
tugged his head up so they were kissing again, the man 
eating his mouth like he was the best feast ever. He 
shifted, their cocks sliding together, and his eyes rolled. 

"Can you feel it?" Barker asked, biting at his chin. "The 
beast inside you?" 

"Yes." His hands curled, claws dragging along Barker's 
sides. 

Jerking against him, Barker got toothier, biting at his 
chin, his jaw, mouth moving along his neck. Sounds 
started sliding out of him, bubbling from him. 

"Mine. Mine." The word was growled against his skin, 
made a part of each bite. Every time the word echoed in 
him, he wanted to scream, to howl. "Could spend the 
rest of my life proving it to you." 

"Okay." He could live with that, he thought. 

That had Barker laughing before those sharp teeth 
scraped over his skin, over marks and bruises already 
left on his throat by his lover. 

"Burns. I'll look like a leper." 

Marked - 84 

"No, you'll look like you belong to someone." 

"No. Not someone. You." 

"Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Me. My mate." Barker nipped 
his earlobe. "Want you, Mate. It's like the last ten years 
of needing you are all bottled up inside me and need to 
come out." 

"I wanted to be yours. The entire time." 

"It's what I wanted, too." Barker shook his head. "You're 
here now." 

He nodded, but the worry, the shame were still right 
there, just beneath the surface. 

Barker growled and pushed him into the mattress. 
"Mine. Beautiful. Whole. Special." 

"Different. I'm not like others of our kind." 

"Special." 

"Odd." 

"Stubborn." 

"Undesirable." 

Barker snorted, cock hard, digging into his hip as Barker 
pushed it against him. "Very desirable." 

Marked - 85 

"That's not what I meant..." He groaned, fingers sliding 
over the tip. 

Barker licked his lips and moaned softly. "I win." 

"Hmm?" He brought his fingers to his lips, sucking them 
clean. 

"Fuck it. We both do." 

"Do what?" God, he loved that flavor. 

"Win." 

Barker's tongue tangled with his own, pulling the flavor 
right off it. Cody found himself lost again, focused only 
on the way Barker's teeth felt, the way Barker's mouth 
tasted, they way they fit together. 

"Taste it from the source." Barker rolled as he spoke, 
body hard and gleaming in the sun streaming through 
the windows, cock hard, red, and once again slick at the 
tip. 

"Bossy fucker." He swooped down, though, and sucked 
the stiff prick in. 

"Uh... huh." The words were lost in a groan, Barker's 
fingers threading through his hair. 

All he knew was that taste and the way that it filled his 
mouth. More groans filled the air, Barker's hips 
beginning to thrust, pushing the thick meat deeper into 
his mouth. Part of him thought he should protest when 

Marked - 86 

Barker's fingers clenched in his hair. The rest of him 
sucked harder. 

"Mate. Mate." That chant started again, and it touched 
something deep inside him. 

He would do anything for this man, anything he could. 

"Soon," whispered Barker, fingers rubbing his scalp. 

Cody let his lips sink all the way to the base of Barker's 
cock, swallowing around the tip. 

"Mate!" Barker's shout was the only warning he got, his 
mate driving in even further and coming down his 
throat. 

Bitter and salty, male and hot -- Cody swallowed his 
mate down. Barker jerked a few more times, dribbles 
coming from him, and then his mate relaxed back 
against the bed, all but purring. 

He settled in, eyes closing. Somewhere, his tail was 
wagging. 

Marked - 87 

Chapter Seven 

Barker stretched and grabbed his bag and Cody's, taking 
them to the truck. They'd spent the third night of the 
moon running and hunting and playing together. Now 
the full moon was over and it was time to go home, to 
start life together. It would be easier if Cody would lose 
the fur. 

He put his hands on his hips. "Are you planning on 
staying like that for the whole trip?" Frankly, he was 
kind of jealous. 

Cody slumped down on the threshold of the cabin, tail 
thumping. 

"Okay, okay, but I'm putting clothes in the cab for you 
in case you decide to change back while we're on the 
road." The last thing they needed was to get stopped 
because Cody was naked. 

Cody yawned, head landing on his paws. 

"Come on. It's time to go." He locked up the cabin and 
headed for the truck, opening the passenger door for his 
stubborn, canine lover. Cody stared at him. Oh, yeah, so 
stubborn. 

"Come on, Cody. Get in the damn truck." 

That heavy tail just wagged. 

"Don't make me carry you." 

Cody actually bared teeth at him. 

Marked - 88 

"Damn it, Cody, we can't stay here all the time." It was 
fine for a wolf, not so much for humans -- and, unlike 
his mate, he had no choice in the matter. 

Cody stared at him, and he stared back. He was the 
Alpha, damn it. Cody would respect that. 

"Get. In. The. Truck." He refused to look away. Thank 
goodness, Cody's eyes dropped, his mate slinking 
toward the truck. 

Shaking his head, he followed, closing the passenger 
door as soon as Cody jumped up into the seat. Moving 
around, he climbed in and started the engine. Cody 
grumbled and barked, telling him off in the clearest 
possible terms. 

"Uh-huh." He could pretend he didn't understand; if 
Cody wanted to talk to him, the man could damn well 
shift. "I like burgers, too, and I'll make sure we pick 
some up at the first drive-through we see." 

A low rumble filled the cab. He glanced over and 
couldn't resist reaching for his mate, sliding a hand 
through all that great fur. Cody groaned, then settled, 
head on his thigh. Smiling, he stroked Cody's fur, 
patting the sweet head. 

"You're beautiful, Cody." 

His thigh was given a soft lick. 

"I still can't believe you can change whenever you 
want." His magical mate, furry in the sunlight. 

Marked - 89 

Cody sighed again, tail thumping slowly. 

"Must be nice." Maybe it was a reward for Cody having 
been in so much pain for so long. 

Cody groaned, and he could see the process starting, his 
lover coming back to him. It was fascinating, the 
muscles jerking, the fur twitching. He couldn't imagine 
doing it simply because he chose to. 

He hummed softly, trying to encourage, to help. "Come 
on, babe. I want to be able to talk to you and have you 
back talk me, yeah?" 

Cody's panting filled the cab, the sound almost pained, 
but then his mate was there, solid, naked. 

"Man, you'd better put on those clothes I tossed in for 
you before I pull the truck over and fuck you right 
there." 

"You couldn't... couldn't get it up again." 

He glanced over, admiring Cody's body. "That wasn't a 
challenge, was it?" 

Cody nuzzled him, hummed. "You're driving." 

Fuck, his mate was sexy. "I'm going to pull over any 
second now." Sexy and naked. And close. And right 
there. "Put the clothes on, Cody." 

"Bitch." Cody nipped his arm, then draped himself over 
the back of the seat, looking for the clothes. 

Marked - 90 

"Fuck." He pulled the truck over and pounced. 

Cody yelped as his teeth sank into one taut ass cheek. 
"Hey!" 

He laughed and bit the other cheek. 

"No biting! You fucker! I'll turn into a werewolf!" 

Oh, God, that was funny. He couldn't bite again, he was 
laughing so hard. Cody landed in his arms, clothes in 
hand, laughing just as much as he was. 

"Dork," he accused. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Cody cuddled in, panting hard. "But 
I'm cute." 

"You are fucking cute." He ran his hands over Cody. 
"Pretty damn sexy, too." 

"We should go before the cops drive by." 

Damn it, Cody was probably right. 

"Get some clothes on, then." 

Cody rubbed against him for another second, then pulled 
away. He sat back in his seat and willed his prick to 
behave as he started the truck up. Cody slipped into the 
jeans, left the shirt off. One hand slid up along his thigh, 
petting him. 

Marked - 91 

"You're tempting fate." God, the man could get him all 
hot and bothered just by sitting there half-dressed. 

Cody chuffed with laughter, head thrown back. "That's 
what I do!" 

Grinning, he shook his head. "How have I lived without 
you for the last ten years?" Fate, he thought, owed them. 

"You did okay. I saw." There was a decade of sorrow in 
those words. 

"I wish I'd known you were there." He should have felt 
Cody or something. Wasn't that how it was supposed to 
work? 

Cody shrugged. "It wouldn't have helped you. I needed 
to watch you. I couldn't not." 

"It might have made me refuse to let you go sooner. 
Maybe that's what you needed to change." 

"I don't know. I tried everything." 

"So what happened this time? It's not like it's the first 
time we've mated." 

"I... We never have like this." 

"It's different up here, isn't it? Like... natural." Like 
nothing could touch them. 

"We're different. You're different." 

Marked - 92 

Of course Cody was different. He could still remember 
the howls of pain, the agony. The glowing eyes, always 
halfway there, never one or the other. 

"I don't know if I'm any different, mate." 

"You are. You're more present." Cody slipped out of the 
seat belt, pressed closer. 

He wrapped an arm around Cody. "That's because I 
didn't let you run away this time." 

"I wanted you to kill me." 

He growled low in his throat. "No. You're mine. I 
couldn't." 

Cody growled back. "I suffered for ten years. I deserved 
mercy." 

"No. You deserved this. To be whole. To be who you 
really are." 

Cody shuddered, breath coming quicker. "It was real, 
wasn't it? I had a tail." 

"Are you kidding? A tail, the most beautiful coat, and 
you could fucking do it during the day. You could do it 
now." 

"I could. I think I could." 

"You could. You do remember being four-legged and 
not wanting to get into the truck? You so can change 
whenever you want. A new breed, man. You're special." 

Marked - 93 

Cody leaned on him, panting a little bit. 

"So, you're staying with me. You know my place is big 
enough for two." 

"For a couple of days, yeah, if that's cool." 

"No, that's not cool. Drop the couple of days and we're 
good." He took his eyes off the road to glare into Cody's. 
"You're staying with me. Period. You're my mate." 

"If I decide to..." 

He loved the flush on Cody's cheeks. 

"If you've decide to what?" 

"Stay with you. I've been on my own a long time." Cody 
tugged his shirt on, his socks. 

"You've been watching me for a long time." He didn't 
want to argue about this. Cody was his mate and there 
was no reason for him not to stay anymore. 

"Yes. Yes, I have. I tried never to interfere." 

"So, clearly, being close to me is something you want. 
Just like I want you with me. So there's no deciding --
it's a done deal." 

Cody sighed, grabbed his boots. "Shit. What if we can't 
live together?" 

"Why are you borrowing trouble? We'll do fine." 

Marked - 94 

Cody just stared at him. Stared. 

"What?" 

"You're so fucking bossy, asshole." 

"That's because I'm the Alpha." 

Cody was going to have to get used to it. 

"Uh-huh." Cody didn't sound convinced. 

It made him growl a little. When Cody growled back, it 
surprised the hell out of him. Another sound rumbled 
through him, the beast inside him responding to his 
mate. Cody's eyes flashed, began to glow. Jesus. Jesus, 
he was going to have to pull over again. 

"Am I about to have a lap full of wolf?" 

"I... I don't know. I can't..." Cody growled low and deep, 
shivering. 

He frowned. "You can't control it?" That growl, it went 
straight to his balls. 

"Not so well. It's new." Cody leaned against him, 
sweating now, eyes closed. 

"You know, I can't control it at all. During the full 
moon, it comes; during the day, it goes." 

"I... Yeah. Yeah, I guess that's right. I can, a little." 

Marked - 95 

He wanted to howl at the words, at Cody taking pride in 
himself. "I bet you get better at it, too. With practice." 

Cody shrugged, panting against him. "How long 'til we 
stop?" 

"It's another few hours into the city. What do you need 
to stop for?" 

There were a couple places along the way if Cody 
wanted to eat, or rest stops if he needed to change and 
run. 

"I... I need to get out of the truck." 

"What's wrong with my truck?" 

Cody's eyes flashed, face lengthening. "Nothing! I 
just..." 

"Okay, babe. I'll get you to outside. No running away, 
though, I can't change with you." He slowed the car, 
pulling off onto the ditch. 

"I swear. I swear." There was no other traffic, and Cody 
was writhing, hands desperately tugging at the clothing. 

He put on his hazards and helped Cody with the clothes, 
fingers pushing buttons through loops and helping his 
lover get naked. 

"Thank you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." There was more than 
a hint of panic in Cody's voice. 

Marked - 96 

"Shh. It's okay, mate." He leaned past Cody and opened 
the door. 

"Mate. Mate." Cody crouched on the seat, rippling. 
"Hungrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..." 

His mate shuddered, shook, then the wolf was there --
huge and strong and beautiful. 

"There. Okay. There you go. God, you're beautiful, 
Cody." He reached out, stroking, rubbing. "It's okay. 
You can go out, but don't go far." 

Cody leaped down, running around, tail in the air. He 
admired the wolf. God, his mate truly was gorgeous. 

True to his word, Cody stayed close enough to see, 
coming back to him again and again. Leaving the 
hazards on, Barker climbed out and leaned against the 
passenger side of the truck. 

Cody -- romped. There was no other word for it. 
Bouncing and barking, running and playing -- it was 
something to see. Barker laughed, enjoying this 
immensely. 

"Must be nice. To do that in the sunshine." 

Cody looked over at him, panting, laughing at him. 

"Butthead. Lucky butthead." He kind of wished they 
didn't have to go back. If the cabin were in better shape, 
weren't so bare bones, they could stay out there more, let 
Cody run and run. 

Marked - 97 

Somehow, he thought that convincing Cody to go back 
to the Clan was going to be harder than convincing the 
wolf to get into the truck. He was hoping being able to 
thumb their noses would be a good incentive. 

He knew he wanted to. He wanted to march right in 
there with his mate and stick out his tongue and go 
"Neener, neener." Show off his beautiful, strong mate, 
tell them how proud he was, how perfect. 

He went down to his haunches and called Cody over, 
wanting to touch that beautiful fur again. His mate ran 
for him, tongue lolling as he loped over. Barker wrapped 
his arms around the beautiful beast, fingers digging into 
Cody's fur. Cody pushed closer, growling happily, 
nuzzling him. He rubbed their cheeks together. Fuck, 
Cody's fur was soft. 

The wolf leaned into him hard, making him take all the 
weight. 

"Damn, you're solid, aren't you?" 

Cody's chuffing laughter made him grin. 

He rubbed his face in the fur at Cody's neck, hands 
sliding along his mate's flanks. The tension he'd been 
seeing in Cody was gone, melted away, replaced by a 
wagging tail. 

"Everything's simpler when you're the wolf, huh?" 

Thump. Thump. Thump. 

Marked - 98 

A hot tongue dragged on his throat. He laughed. This 
was... well, it was kind of magical. He could feel Cody 
shivering, and he knew the change was going to come 
again. He tugged off his shirt, ready to put it on his mate 
as soon as Cody changed. A man on the side of a road 
with a dog wouldn't be that weird; one with another man 
who was naked was not so normal. Cody whined softly, 
pushing closer, trying to get his touch. 

"It's okay, Mate. It's okay." He stroked and petted as 
much of Cody as he could reach. "Easy does it." 

He could feel the change, and he hummed softly, 
gentling his mate. "Skin instead of fur. A mouth instead 
of a muzzle. Just think of the things that make you 
human." He murmured the words, hands still working. 

Cody came back to him, leaning hard, shivering. 
"Sorry." 

"For what?" He held out his shirt for Cody, helping him 
into it. 

"I had to run." Cody cuddled in even closer. "Is it 
always this cold, after?" 

"Yeah, pretty much. You're going from fur to naked." 
He rubbed Cody's skin. 

"Yeah." Cody pushed into his arms, let him lead the way 
to the truck. 

He found the man's sweats and passed them over. "I can 
put the heat on in the truck if the clothes don't help." 

Marked - 99 

"You don't have to. I'm getting better." 

"Oh, good. I hate being hot." He grinned and kissed 
Cody before hustling him into the truck. 

Cody settled in, eyelids heavy. He squeezed Cody's 
shoulder, closed the door, and headed around to the 
other side. Climbing in, he started the engine up and 
headed them back toward the city. 

Cody dozed for a few miles, then woke up, eyes on the 
horizon. 

"You feeling okay?" It was still a little startling, those 
pretty blue eyes instead of the shining gold. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I feel much better." 

"Just needed to let the beast out for a bit, huh?" It was 
going to be a learning curve, figuring out what Cody 
needed, how exactly his change worked. 

"I think so, yeah. It was huge." Cody's fingers brushed 
his wrist. 

"Huh." He took his hand off the wheel and twined his 
fingers with Cody's. 

"I wonder if that's because you can change during the 
day, too. Or because you didn't change for so long, and 
now your wolf wants out." 

"I don't know. I don't know anything about this, 
obviously." 

Marked - 100 

He squeezed Cody's hand. "It's okay, we'll learn 
together." 

His mate sighed, squeezed back. "I don't know, man. 
What if it's a fluke?" 

Everything in him tightened for a moment. "It's lasted 
for days, Cody. That's a hell of a fluke." 

"Only two days. But... it doesn't seemed tied to the 
moon." 

"No, it doesn't seem tied to the moon at all." He shook 
his head. He didn't know what the explanation was, but 
that much was clear. 

"I'm still a freak of nature, hmm?" Poor, bittersweet 
lover. 

"You're not a freak -- you're special. I mean, you can 
control it. How cool is that?" 

"I'm trying to control it." 

"Yeah, well, practice is everything. The ability is still 
there." 

Cody looked at him like he'd lost his mind. 

"What? You don't think that going back and forth won't 
help you get control?" It made sense to him. 

"I honestly don't know." Cody growled a bit. "I don't 
know anything anymore." 

Marked - 101 

"It's still better than how it was." Cody had to remember 
that. 

He heard his mate take a deep, deep breath. "Yes. Yes, it 
is. So much." 

"The pain's gone, right?" Like the eyes had changed. 

"Yeah." 

Thank God. He never wanted to have to see his mate 
writhing like that again. Never. "Good. It'll all work out, 
then." 

They slowed as the traffic got heavier for rush hour, the 
city busy with people coming and going. He glanced 
over at Cody to see how his lover was handling it. The 
man was wide-eyed, looking almost scared. 

"Hey, mate. It's all right. We're just going to go straight 
to my place. You've been there before." 

"It smells. And it's loud. Has it always been so loud?" 

"Yeah, yeah, it has. It's always worse when I first get 
back. You get used to it again." 

"Yeah?" Cody looked unsure. 

"Yeah. It'll be fine, mate. You'll see." 

"I don't know... I don't know if I can stay at your house. 
You have a normal life..." 

Marked - 102 

He could scent the worry, the beginnings of panic in the 
cab. 

"And you're aiming for what?" 

"Huh?" 

"I know you haven't had a normal life so far, but now 
that you can change, what kind of life is it you want? 
Something not normal?" 

That scent of panic got stronger. "I don't know." 

"Hey." He reached over and squeezed Cody's thigh. 
"You know my place. We'll be there soon, and you can 
shut everything else out for awhile, not have to think. 
Hell, you can even shift if you want. Once we're there." 

"I'm sorry, man. Really. I feel all fucking wigged out." 

"It's okay. I tell you what, once we get there, I'll drag 
you into my bed and it'll be just like old times." 

He heard a soft, husky chuckle. "Does that mean I leave 
at dawn?" 

"No, not at all. At dawn, you're going to have to pretend 
my place is the hotel room you always snuck away to." 
He wasn't letting Cody get away this time. Especially as 
there wasn't a reason to go. 

"I didn't always stay there. I couldn't afford it. I traveled 
around." One hand found his thigh. 

Marked - 103 

"Now you have a place to stay." He dropped his hand to 
cover Cody's, holding it against his skin. 

"Still? Even after all this mess?" 

"You're my mate." 

He pulled into the parking garage. He couldn't quite 
believe it, that he was going to have his mate, his lover, 
home with him for good. He parked and leaned over, 
placing a quick, hard kiss on Cody's lips. "Welcome 
home, mate." 

"Thank you." Cody shivered and reached for him. "I'm 
fucking wigged out." 

"I know. It'll be better at my place. Trust me." 

He had nature sounds on his surround sound, and the 
smell of the woods to cover up the asphalt and smog the 
air filter couldn't quite get rid of. Subtle things that made 
all the difference. Cody hadn't ever noticed, and he 
could just imagine the attack on the man's senses. 

"Come on. It'll be better once we get home." He climbed 
out and came right around to give Cody a hand, or at 
least a warm, familiar body to lean on. 

Cody sat there on the seat, disheveled and pale. "Barker, 
I don't know if I can handle this, man. I don't know 
about this anymore." 

"Trust me, yeah? Come on upstairs. You'll be much 
easier in your skin once you're there." Barker wrapped 

Marked - 104 

his hands around Cody's arms and tugged, encouraging 
him to get out of the damn truck. 

He thought for a second that Cody would fight him, but 
he growled softly and Cody came, trusted him. He got 
them into the elevator and moving up to his apartment. 

"This is the first time I've come here during the day." 

"It's the first time you've come here when it's been your 
home, too." He held onto Cody's hand, squeezing it. 

"Yeah, you're right. I guess." 

His mate. His mate coming home. Barker could howl 
with it. 

The elevator stopped and he pulled Cody out. How 
many times had he done this over the last ten years? 
Dragged his mate in here and fucked him into the 
mattress? Not enough times, actually. Nowhere near 
enough. 

He kept hold of Cody's wrist, making sure no one 
disappeared while he opened the door. 

Door open, he dragged his mate in, just like he had all 
those times. Although he didn't throw the man up 
against the wall this time. 

As soon as the door closed, the noise and smell of the 
city faded away. 

"Oh." Cody's knees buckled. "It's you." 

Marked - 105 

Okay, maybe he was going to throw the man up against 
the wall. "Uh-huh." He bent and took Cody's mouth. 

Cody's cry was pure happiness, wild and pure, and 
Barker almost shot his load. His mate. Home. He 
slammed Cody up against the wall, grinding against the 
increasingly familiar body. Strong fingers tangled in his 
hair and kept him close while Cody's tongue fucked his 
lips. He sucked on that tongue, his hips imitating it. 

Sounds filled his mouth, made him wild, made him need 
to taste and lick and bite every inch of his mate. He tore 
at Cody's clothing, needing skin. 

Cody's fingers pulled him closer, dragged him in. 
"More." 

"Yes. More." He pressed against Cody, rubbing all up 
against him. 

Cody wrapped around him, licking and biting at his lips. 
"Fuck me." 

"Yes." He grabbed Cody's ass and raised him off the 
floor, moving to his bed. 

"Thank God." Cody held on, not fighting, not struggling. 

He climbed onto the bed with his mate, mouth 
devouring as he laid Cody down and pressed on top of 
him. Cody spread for him, legs cradling him, hips 
rocking up into him. Hungry, wanton mate. That suited 
Barker just fine. 

Marked - 106 

Growling, he spread Cody's legs even farther apart with 
his knees. 

"It smells like you. Everywhere. God, it's so good." 

He could smell his mate, though, could smell the need 
pouring off the beautiful skin. He let his cock nudge 
Cody's hole, a promise of the rutting to come. 

"Don't fucking tease." 

"Not teasing." He reached for the lube and slicked up a 
couple fingers, pushed them into Cody's body. 

The grunt he got was amazing. Deep. Feral. He pushed 
them deeper, bumping against that little gland inside 
Cody's body. 

Cody's eyes went wide, rolled. "More. More." Pushy. 

He pulled out his fingers and pushed them back in, hard. 

"Fuck." 

He added another finger, that sweet hole stretching for 
him. "Gonna fuck you good and hard." 

Cody nodded, but Barker wasn't sure the man was 
listening to him, wasn't sure Cody was hearing anything 
at all. 

He slid his fingers away -- enough preparation, he 
wanted in that tight heat. 

Marked - 107 

"Please. Please. I need." Cody was almost howling for 
him. 

"Right here." He pushed Cody's legs back and thrust into 
the sweet body. 

"Yes!" Cody pushed back, hips slamming up toward 
him. 

"Mate," He growled the word and pushed in again. 

"Harder." 

"Pushy." He did it, though, didn't he? Thrust harder. 

"Yes. Fuck, you feel so good..." 

"You, too." So fucking good. He moved harder, faster. 

Cody wasn't fighting him, wasn't hiding, and he felt his 
heart swell. He wanted to howl. Cody's hands wrapped 
around his shoulders, tugged him close. He took Cody's 
lips, let his howl fill his mate's mouth. 

That tight ass squeezed his prick rhythmically, pulling at 
him, tugging him in deeper. He found Cody's cock, 
squeezed it as he thrust harder. He could feel Cody jerk -
- in his hand, around his cock. 

"That's it, mate. Come for me." 

"Yes. Mate." Cody looked at him, those blue eyes warm, 
focused. Sure. 

"Mate." He pushed in, nailing Cody's gland. 

Marked - 108 

Heat poured over his hand, Cody's moan splitting the 
air. 

"Yes! Mate!" He thrust in two more times, and then 
came hard, filling his mate. The scent of them filled the 
air, filled his home. "Mmm. Cody." 

One hand stroked his hair. "Barker. Oh, God. This place 
smells like you." 

He nuzzled into Cody's neck. "With a little bit of you 
thrown in." 

Cody stilled at the touch, then his chin lifted, giving 
Barker access. It made Barker growl a little, happy in his 
bones at the movement. He nibbled and nuzzled, let his 
teeth threaten some. His fingers stroked Cody's belly, 
scratching lightly, petting. 

"Welcome home," he murmured. 

"Thank you." Cody kissed the corner of his mouth. 
"Mate." 

"That's right. Mate." He felt a surge of pride go through 
him at having Cody here, with him, special and 
wonderful and all his. 

Marked - 109 

Chapter Eight 

Barker was napping and Cody was curious, so he 
slipped from the bed and started exploring. He hadn't 
really looked at Barker's home before. It didn't hurt that 
he was starving. 

The place was basically one big, open space, with a bar 
separating the kitchen and a small hall leading to a huge 
bathroom and a couple of closets. 

There were a lot of plants spread around the place, and 
aside from the bed and barstools, there were only two 
huge armchairs and a great big flat-screen TV. A small 
desk had papers on it, and a laptop. It was simple, 
utilitarian, and yet everything about it smelled and felt 
like home. 

He found a jar of peanut butter and a spoon, eating three 
spoonfuls in quick succession. Oh. Better. Then he 
found the milk. 

There was a note on the fridge. "Buy more steak, idiot." 

Cody chuffed softly, found some eggs. Starving. He was 
starving. 

He heard Barker groan, shift in his sleep. He hummed 
softly, let his voice fill the space, let Barker know he 
wasn't gone. 

He thought he heard a murmured, "Mate." 

He found a pan and started scrambling eggs. 

Marked - 110 

It wasn't long before Barker come prowling into the 
kitchen, eyes like a touch on him. "Mate. You're still 
here." 

"I made eggs." He didn't know what else to say. 

"We need steak." Barker's arms went around him, nose 
sliding on his skin. "Mmm." 

"You left yourself a note." He let his head fall forward, 
let Barker nibble. 

Barker looked at the fridge and laughed before getting 
back to making a snack of him. 

He finished the eggs up, elbowed his mate gently. 
"Plates?" 

Barker elbowed him back. "Cupboards." 

"You want to give me a better clue?" He had a spatula. 
He was willing to use it. 

"Try the one over the sink. There's only six -- you could 
have opened them all." 

"Don't make me beat you." He grinned, stretched, found 
two plates. 

"I'd like to see you try." Barker lounged against the 
counter, grinning back. 

He met Barker's eyes, hit with the realization that he was 
here, standing in Barker's home, and he could change. 
He could. "It did happen, right? I'm not dreaming." 

Marked - 111 

"It happened, mate. You're a beautiful wolf." 

His hands shook for a second, and he took a deep breath, 
telling himself to get it together. "Yeah. Yeah, it did. 
Let's eat." 

"You can change after if you want. You just need to 
promise not to do your business on my floor." 

He blinked at Barker, then just cracked up, laughing so 
hard it hurt. 

"What? I'm not joking!" 

He shoved the plate of eggs at his asshole mate. 

Barker moved over to one of the barstools and dug into 
the food like he was starving. "'S good." 

Cody nodded, leaning against the counter and sucking 
the eggs down. Hungry. 

"I could take you out for steak. Nice and rare, twenty 
ounces." 

He met Barker's eyes, a growl pushing out of him. 

"You like that idea? Fresh meat." 

"Hungry." His belly went tight-tight. 

"You up to it? There's all the city out there. I have a guy 
-- I could get something delivered." 

Marked - 112 

He nodded. "I can go out without my glasses, huh?" 

Barker's smile was slow and lazy. "You can." 

"I need to wash my clothes at some point." 

"We need to buy you more stuff. Jeans, T-shirts. Crap 
like that." 

"I don't need much. I travel light." 

"You're not traveling anymore, mate. You're home." 

He shrugged, a little uncomfortable with that. "I don't 
know how to do that." 

"You'll learn." Barker always sounded so confident. 

"Is the offer of steak still open?" 

Barker laughed and nodded. "You bet. Delivered in or 
go out?" 

"If we deliver, I can wash clothes." 

"Or mate." Barker gave him one of those wolfish grins 
of his. 

"My mate needs washing?" 

"What?" Barker blinked at him and tilted his head. 

"You said I could wash clothes or my mate." 

Marked - 113 

Barker snorted and then chuckled. "I mean or we could 
mate. You know, go back to bed and rub on each other?" 

"Oh!" He grinned at Barker. "Right. Got it." 

"Butthead." Barker threw a napkin at him. 

"Bitch." He yipped happily. 

"So delivery and making out?" 

"Yeah. Delivery and making out." 

It sounded perfect. 

*** 

The knock on the door interrupted Barker's kiss, but he'd 
had plenty and could have plenty more, so he wasn't 
complaining too hard. Besides, that knock came with 
steak. He grabbed his jeans and slipped into them, 
finding his wallet in the back pocket. Excellent. 

Answering the door, he gave Kristos the hot delivery 
boy a grin. He handed over the money as the smell of 
the food filled his nostrils. "Your dad make my order?" 

"You know he did, Mr. Barker." 

"Excellent." He gave Kristos a good tip and closed the 
door before the man's scent could penetrate too far into 
the apartment and worry Cody. 

"Food's here, mate. Red meat." Cooked nice and rare. 

Marked - 114 

"Oh, good." Cody came up, sniffing his shoulder, the 
bag. 

"Wanna eat in bed?" He was going to have to pick up 
some meat to keep in the fridge for when Cody wanted 
to eat as a wolf. 

"That sounds fun, yeah." Cody's hand slipped over his 
hip. 

"Take my jeans off me, then, and we'll do that." He 
loved that touch. 

"I can do that." Those fingers were clever, baring his 
cock. 

He groaned as one of Cody's fingers brushed against 
him. Fuck, you'd think he'd never had sex before, the 
way Cody could get him up just by breathing. 

"You smell good." Cody smoothed his jeans down and 
off, leaving him holding the steak. 

"I think that's the steak," he teased, climbing onto the 
bed. 

"No. That's you." One hand trailed along his cock. 

Groaning, he pushed into Cody's hand. "There's food..." 

"Mmmhmm. Feed me?" That hand moved up and down 
and up and down. 

"Not while you're doing that." He could barely think, let 
alone operate a knife and fork. 

Marked - 115 

Cody nibbled his shoulder. "Please, Mate." 

"You could eat me..." He grinned, already knowing he'd 
give in to what his mate asked for. 

"After steak. So hungry." 

He imagined his sweet mate's stomach was rumbling 
hard. He pulled Cody to come with him as he opened 
one of the containers. Cody was bare, cock mostly full, 
rubbing against him. He grabbed the little plastic knife 
and fork from the containers and cut off a big chunk of 
meat, offering it to Cody as he tried to ignore the way 
his mate's body was pressing all up against him. Cody 
moaned for him, eyes crossing as the blood from the 
steak dripped on the outstretched tongue. 

"Beast," he teased, his own tongue licking at his lips as 
he salivated. God, he wanted some of that. 

"Yes." Cody's smile was wild, fierce. 

Laughing, he took a kiss. Cody licked and lapped at his 
lips, moaning for him. 

"Fuck, baby. You make eating a whole new adventure." 

"Everything's new now." He could hear the truth in the 
words. 

"Yeah." He gave Cody another quick kiss and then fed 
him another generous mouthful of steak. 

Cody's sound was an orgasm. 

Marked - 116 

"Eating's never going to be the same again." 

Cody picked up another bite, slid the juicy steak over his 
lips. Growling, he leaned in and licked at Cody's lips, bit 
at them. The steak was pushed between his lips, the 
meat succulent and perfect. He chewed, groaning at the 
delicious flavor -- of both meat and mate. 

They fed each other, growling and licking, enjoying 
each other like they'd never been able to before. Never. 

The steaks were soon gone, the rest of the food ignored 
in favor of each other. Cody was in his lap, fingers 
combing through his hair, one kiss sliding into another 
and another. He brought their groins together, moaning 
at the heat they made together. 

"Hungry mate." Cody's laugh tasted so good. 

"Just matching you." 

"Just munching with me." 

"No, that was before. Now I'm munching on you." 

There was that laugh again, and Barker wanted to growl 
for all the years he hadn't known it. They had gotten so 
screwed, but it was their time now. He winked and slid 
his hand around to squeeze Cody's ass. Cody wiggled, 
belly sliding on his. 

"Mmm. Want you, mate." Again. Still. 

"I'm yours." Oh, fuck, that was hot. 

Marked - 117 

"All mine." He pulled Cody closer against him. 

"Are you going to keep me, now?" Cody's eyes were so 
blue. 

"I am. Forever." 

"Thank God." 

Growling, he took his mate's mouth, laying his claim all 
over again, without words this time. Cody met his 
hunger head on, tongue fucking his lips. He reached for 
Cody's hole, teasing it with his index finger, pushing just 
the tip in. The soft hum he got vibrated his lips. He 
moaned in reply, finger going deeper. His mate was soft, 
silky inside, body made for him to fill. 

"Mate." He moaned, mouth sliding on Cody's, breathing 
in his mate's breath. 

"Yes." Cody's eyes began to glow, just around the edges. 

He shook his head. "No changing, I want you like this." 
He needed Cody like this. 

"I know. I'm trying. Breathing." 

Barker offered the fingers of his free hand to Cody. 
"Suck." 

Those kiss-swollen lips parted, dropped over his fingers, 
and the sweet suction started. Every pull was like a tug 
on his cock, making it throb where it pressed against 
Cody's body. Cody moaned around his fingers, tongue 

Marked - 118 

lashing the fingertips. He pushed the finger inside 
Cody's body deeper as Cody drove him crazy with that 
tongue. Cody bit his fingers, tugging at them, even as 
that ass squeezed him. 

"Fuck, mate." If he wasn't careful, Cody would make 
him come before they got to the main event. 

Cody nodded, smiled, eager. Laughing, he tugged his 
fingers out of Cody -- ass and mouth -- and then pushed 
the wet ones into that sweet, hot hole. 

Cody grunted, arched, belly going taut. "Yes!" 

"Gonna take you, right here, like this." 

Cody's answer was a single, sharp nod. 

He spread his fingers and pushed them deep, working 
Cody's ass. 

"Fuck. Stretching me." Cody pushed down, riding his 
touch. 

"Uh-huh. It's going to be my cock in a minute." He was 
going to make Cody fly. 

"Harder. Harder, mate." 

He fucked Cody with his fingers, finding the sweet 
gland over and over. His eyelids got heavy, his cock 
wanting into that tight sheath. 

"Want you." 

Marked - 119 

"I'm yours." The simple words made him howl. 

He tugged his fingers away, lining his prick up with that 
hole. Cody's body bucked, a whimper of complaint 
escaping him. 

It made him laugh, the sound free and easy. "I'm 
coming, mate." 

"Don't you dare. That cock's mine." 

He laughed even harder at that. "I didn't mean..." Fuck 
it, it didn't matter. He pushed his cock into Cody's body. 
Hot. Fuck, yeah. Hot. Hot and tight and fucking his. 
Groaning, he took Cody's mouth, pushing as deep as he 
could. That tight ring of muscle squeezed the shaft of his 
prick. 

"Mate." He groaned, meeting Cody's eyes. 

"Yes. Your mate." 

He let his thrust be his answer, hips pulling back slightly 
before humping up hard. Blue. His mate's eyes were 
blue. Fuck, it was hot. He wrapped his hands around 
Cody's hips, moving the man as he worked his hips. 
Cody was right there with him, driving down, riding him 
and taking him in deep. He slipped one hand down to 
grab Cody's ass, squeezing it as they fucked. 

Cody's hands framed his face, stared down into him. 
"Mate." 

He growled and bit at Cody's lips. Cody growled back, 
body tightening around his prick. Yeah, just like that. He 

Marked - 120 

put everything he had into it, working hard and taking 
his mate. Cody's hands landed on his shoulders, that 
wiry strength joining his, slamming down onto him. He 
howled, or did the next best to it with his human throat, 
his orgasm pouring through him. 

"Touch me. Touch me, Mate." Cody's teeth snapped at 
the air. 

He grabbed hold of Cody's cock, tugging harshly. 
"Come on." 

"Fuck, yes!" Cody arched, come drawing lines across 
his chest. 

It made him shudder, the way Cody's body bore down 
on his cock. Cody's orgasm stretched his pleasure out, 
left him shaken, wrung out. Wrung dry. He collapsed 
back onto the bed, tugging Cody down with him. 

Cody's mouth nuzzled his jaw, tongue on his skin. 

"Mate," he murmured, arms tightening around his own 
werewolf. 

"Yes. Yes, Mate." Cody chuckled, curling around him. 

"This is the life." He meant it, too. Having his mate with 
him like this. 

"Can it stay this way?" 

"If I have anything to say about it, it will." He growled. 
He wasn't letting Cody go. Not this time, not ever. His 
mate was home where he belonged. 

Marked - 121 

Cody hummed, cuddling into him, rocking nice and 
slow. Settling. Like he intended to stay. 

Marked - 122 

Chapter Nine 

The laziness lasted for two days, then Barker had to go 
back to work and so did Cody. At least, Cody needed to 
find something for a few days. His funds were tapped. 
He woke early, shook out his work jeans and the T-shirt 
he used for construction, and made a cup of coffee. 
There was a day laborer slot about a mile's walk; he got 
work there painting, picking up trash, lugging furniture. 
Whatever there was that paid cash and didn't require too 
much identification. 

The first night, when he got home, Barker pounced on 
him, growling. "You weren't here when I got back." 

He snarled softly. He was sore, he was filthy, and he 
was freezing. "I was working." 

"You could have left me a note -- I thought you'd left." 

"I left my duffel." He headed for the bathroom. He 
needed a shower. 

"I didn't notice. Fuck, mate. I thought you'd gone again." 
Barker followed him, voice rough. 

"I need to work. I'm broke." Jackass. 

"You should have left a note is all I'm saying. Or phoned 
me. Or something." Barker growled at him. "Besides, 
I'm not charging you rent." 

"Don't growl at me!" He spun around, their chests 
slapping together. "I'm tired!" 

Marked - 123 

"I thought you'd run away again!" Barker didn't stop 
growling, pushing him back toward the bathroom. 

He bared his teeth, vibrating. "Fucker." 

Barker pushed him up against the wall. "Asshole." 

He bounced a little, hands grabbing Barker's arms. 
"Don't push me." 

"You started it." Barker growled and leaned him back, 
pressing him back against the wall again. 

"Fuck you. I want a shower, dickhead." God, Barker was 
warm. 

"Fuck you, too!" Barker's mouth descended on his, the 
kiss hard, needy. 

He met the need head on, refusing to back down from 
Barker's hunger. His mate's tongue fucked his mouth, 
made his cock hard. He tangled the fingers of one hand 
in Barker's hair, pulling hard enough that he knew it had 
to sting. Growling, Barker bit at his lips. Fuck. Asshole. 
Hot, hungry asshole. The man ground against him, cock 
hot even through the layers of their clothes. 

"Not fucking. Taking a shower." 

"Do both." Barker tore open his shirt. 

"Hey! I only have three!" 

"I count two." Barker bent and bit one nipple, then the 
other. 

Marked - 124 

"I. Two..." Fuck. Fuck, that was good. "Biter." 

That made Barker laugh. "I'm a wolf, babe. Of course 
I'm a biter." 

He chuffed softly. "Do it again?" 

"You bet." Barker went back to work, teeth hard and 
sharp as they dug into his flesh. 

He forgot about the cold, the tired, just for a second, the 
sting and ache perfect and exactly what he needed. One 
of Barker's hands started playing at his waistband, 
working open his jeans. He sucked in his belly. Just in 
the last week, he'd gained weight, gained muscle. 
Strength. 

Barker had his jeans undone and halfway down his 
thighs just like that, fingers pushing into his underwear 
to grab at his dick. Those thick fingers were warm 
against his skin, his prick swelling at the coarse touch. 
Grabby bastard. 

Toothy, too, Barker was still nipping at his skin, more 
than just his nipples feeling the sharp edge of those 
teeth. There were going to be marks. tiny little bruises 
that covered his chest. Barker didn't seem the least 
concerned about that, leaving as many as he wanted as 
that hand tugged and worked Cody like it was the best 
thing Barker'd ever held. 

Cody let his head fall back, let himself go with it, let the 
sensations take him. The hand around his prick 

Marked - 125 

tightened, worked him harder. His balls drew up and he 
got closer, his yelps filling the air. 

"Give it to me, Cody. I want to smell your pleasure." 

"Shit! Shit, Barker!" His head slammed back, his 
orgasm raging through him. 

"Oh, fuck, look at you." 

He was terribly busy shooting his brains out of his cock. 
Looking was not in his game plan. 

Barker hummed, the sound happy, and bent almost 
double, licking at his cock. He blinked down, trying to 
focus, trying to get less stupid. Barker looked up and 
grinned wolfishly at him. 

He swayed, trying to keep his feet. "Can we shower 
now?" 

"Yep." Barker stood and put an arm around his 
shoulders, manhandling him into the bathroom. 

That hard cock nudged his hip, reminding him that 
Barker needed. Like he'd forget that. They got as far as 
into the shower before Barker pushed him up against the 
tile, rubbing against him. 

"Horny bastard. I won't leave you again, not without 
telling you." 

"Just a fucking note or something." Barker was biting at 
his chin, mouth hot, teeth sharp. 

Marked - 126 

"Do they have fucking notes?" 

"Huh? Who?" Barker kept biting, humping up against 
him. 

"Doesn't matter." He dropped to his knees, mouth 
wrapping around that fine, fat prick. 

"Fuck! Cody!" Barker's legs spread a little, hips 
encouraging him to take more. 

Yeah. Yeah, mate. The wild male flavor filled his lips, 
drops sliding down his throat. Barker's fingers curled 
into his hair, holding his head, guiding his movements. 
He took everything Barker offered, letting him in deep. 
Moaning for him, Barker started rocking, pushing that 
fat cock deep and then bringing it to the tip of his tongue 
again. Every time the tip came toward his lips, he 
sucked hard, refusing to let Barker go. 

"Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Mate." Barker started babbling; 
none of it really made sense, but that tone in his voice 
said it all. 

Cody worked Barker like the man was a Popsicle, lips 
dragging all the way along the shaft. 

"Fuck!" The word was screamed, Barker shooting down 
his throat, hips jerking hard. 

He took it all, loving the salt of his mate. 

Groaning, Barker collapsed back against the tiles. The 
man chuckled. "We didn't even get the water on." 

Marked - 127 

"Yet. We will." He kissed Barker's belly. 

"We better, you're a mess." 

"Some of us had to work all day." 

"You think I wasn't working?" Barker turned the water 
on. 

"You work at night." He knew. He'd been watching for 
years. "And you tell that little pup that tends bar that if 
he ever touches you again, he'll die." 

"Nobody touches me, nobody touches you. But each 
other." The words made Barker growl. 

He growled back. "That's right. You're mine." 

"Yeah. Yeah. And you're mine." Barker's hands were 
hard and possessive as they touched him. 

He arched into the touches, the water making them slick. 

"Still wanting, mate?" 

He met Barker's eyes, panting a bit. "Claim me." 

Barker's eyes went wide and his nostrils flared. 
Growling, Barker turned him to face the tile and pushed 
apart his legs. Cody's nerves fired and his entire body 
shuddered. The hair on his nape stood up. 

"Mine," growled Barker, prick pushing at his hole. 

"Prove it." He would push and push until Barker lost it. 

Marked - 128 

A deep, low rumble came from Barker, and that hot 
cock pushed right into him. He opened his mouth to 
tease more when sharp teeth grabbed the back of his 
neck, holding him there, the sting shorting him out. That 
rumble continued, vibrating the skin of his neck as 
Barker held still, cock buried deep inside him. 

"M...mate." He shook, focused on the ache. 

"That's right," rumbled Barker. "Don't forget it or 
discount it." 

"Fuck you." He squeezed Barker's prick. Hard. 

"No, mate. I'm fucking you." 

"I'm riding you." Fuck, this was fun. 

Barker pulled out and slammed back in. "Feels like I'm 
fucking you to me." 

"You sure?" 

"Of course I'm sure!" The words were accompanied by 
another hard thrust. 

He wanted to scream with it, the pressure was so good, 
so perfect. He bit at his lips, trying to keep control. 
Barker set up a hard, eager rhythm, cock slamming into 
him, spreading him wide. 

"Mate," he barked, the sound echoing. "Mate!" 

"That's right. You're mine." 

Marked - 129 

"Yes. And you're mine." 

"Uh-huh." Barker bit and gnawed at his neck, hips 
moving hard and fast. 

"Going to leave a scar." Somehow, he didn't think 
Barker minded that thought. The rumbling, purring 
sound that followed confirmed it. As did the way Barker 
bit harder. He yipped, hips bucking as he rode. The ache 
made him harder, made him need more. 

Barker's fingers dug into his hips, bruising him. He 
snarled, snapped, the wolf so close, making this so 
perfect. Barker pushed into him and howled, and he 
could feel how close his mate was to coming. One hand 
barely brushed the tip of his cock and he shot, screaming 
out his pleasure. 

"Yes! Yes!" Barker pumped into him, filling him with 
heat. 

He sobbed out his joy. His mate. His own. Barker's howl 
answered him, his mate surrounding him with sound and 
sensation. 

The wolf rumbled inside him, deep within, fighting to 
come out. Growling lightly, Barker pulled out, teeth 
back on his neck. He growled back, panting harder, 
fingers curled into claws. Barker leaned against him and 
turned off the water, the bathroom suddenly quiet. 

"Mate." His voice didn't sound like him. 

"Yes." Barker turned him, mouth finding his. 

Marked - 130 

He growled softly into the kiss, hands dragging on 
Barker's body. He didn't want to change. 
Not yet. Not here. The low sounds fed into his mouth by 
Barker weren't helping his control at all, but the warm 
hands running over his skin did. Here. Stay here. Stay 
here and now. 

The kiss went on and on, Barker stealing his breath, his 
brains. When their lips parted, they were both panting, 
both swaying. Both better. 

"Come on. Food time." Barker grabbed him and dragged 
him out of the shower. 

He could eat. Hell, he could eat an entire buffalo. 

Naked, Barker led him into the little kitchen and pulled a 
package of steaks out of the fridge. He followed right 
behind, breath on Barker's shoulder, nostrils flaring. 

"You're not wanting it uncooked, are you?" Barker 
didn't sound like that would be a big problem for him. 

"N...no..." He whined softly, his stomach snarling. 

Barker smiled at him, eyes soft and warm. "You want to 
change and eat it as is?" 

"I. I think I have to. I'm sorry, man. I..." His body 
convulsed. 

"It's okay, mate. Go on. I would, too, if I could. Think of 
the beast, of the shape of him, the way he feels." 

Marked - 131 

"Like running." He dropped to the floor, spine arching 
impossibly. 

"That's it, mate. Let it have you." Barker's words 
encouraged him, helped him. 

One warm hand stroked over his back, petting him 
gently. Mate. Mate. He panted, tail thumping on the 
floor. 

"Beautiful." 

Bloody and fresh, meat was put on the floor in front of 
him. He snapped up the steak, the blood cool and sharp 
on his tongue. 

"There you go." His mate patted his head and then 
backed off, letting him finish in peace. 

He bit off a piece, dropping it at his mate's feet. Barker 
rumbled at him, the sound not quite right, but then his 
mate wasn't a wolf at the moment. He lapped at Barker's 
ankle, loving the man, then he headed back for his 
dinner. His Mate's chuckle felt good inside, almost as 
good as the meat as it filled his belly. 

He licked the plate clean, then hopped up, paws on the 
counter as he searched for more. 

"More?" Barker pushed the other piece of meat toward 
him. 

He barked happily. More. More, more, more. 

"You're a piggy wolf." 

Marked - 132 

His tongue lolled, tail lashing violently. Barker laughed, 
dancing out of the way. He hopped down, crouching, 
hindquarters up. Play. 

"Oh-ho! I know what you want now!" 

He yipped, bouncing a little. Barker suddenly tweaked 
his ear and leapt away. His paws scrambled on the tile as 
he ran to pounce, claws clicking. Barker went down 
under him, hitting the floor with a loud thump. 

He licked his mate's face, chuffing. Barker's hands went 
to his muzzle, rubbing and scratching. Oh, good. Good. 
His eyes crossed, lip curling in pleasure. 

"Ah, that's the spot, huh?" 

He settled down, tail thumping hard, encouraging more 
of those wonderful touches. 

"This is the life," murmured Barker as his mate settled 
next to him, hands and fingers busy. 

He agreed, all of him. He hadn't ever been so happy. 

*** 

Barker finished his shift at the bar and headed home, 
trying not to grumble. He'd had his shifts changed from 
night to day so his schedule coincided, more or less, 
with Cody's. Too bad he hated the hell out of it. Who'd 
have thought? 

Marked - 133 

He let himself in, nose in the air, searching 
automatically for his mate's scent. The house smelled 
like Cody, but the scent was fading. Someone wasn't 
home. It made him growl. Oh, he wasn't worried 
anymore that Cody had disappeared, but damn it, he'd 
changed his entire schedule around so they could spend 
time together, and yet here he was, all by himself. 

He heard the door open about ten minutes later, the scent 
of food sudden and strong. 

"Mate." He headed for the front door. 

"Hey. I brought tacos." Cody looked exhausted. 

"What happened?" he demanded, taking the bag from 
Cody's hands. 

"Huh? Long day. Tacos." 

"You look worn out." 

"I am." Suddenly he could scent blood. Fresh blood. 

He growled and tossed the bag in the general direction 
of the kitchen before starting to tear at Cody's clothes. 
"What happened?" 

"Fight. Need a shower." Cody jerked away, the shirt 
coming off in Barker's hands. 

"A fight with who? Damn it, this isn't just a few 
punches, is it?" 

"Stop it. I work with tough guys. Shit happens." 

Marked - 134 

There was a knife slash right across Cody's ribs. 

"This isn't just shit happening." He pushed Cody up 
against the wall next to the bathroom door. "Who did 
this to you?" He would kill them. 

"Stop. Stop, Barker. I need a shower. A fucking nap." 

"You need to tell me what the fuck happened. You need 
to tell me who came at you with a knife." 

"Some asshole who wanted money. It happens. I'm a day 
laborer. I work for cash with gangsters, cons, and 
fucking druggies." 

Barker growled. 

Cody growled back, teeth baring. "Go tell them you 
want your old job back, would you? You hate working 
days." 

"This has nothing to do with that! Someone hurt you!" 
Cody was his, to love, to protect. 

"It happens. It happens a lot. Deal with it." 

"That's exactly what I plan to do, just as soon as you tell 
me who did this to you." He was going to rip the asshole 
who'd hurt his mate limb from limb. 

Cody rolled his eyes and headed into the bathroom. 

"Hey!" He growled some more and stalked after his 
mate. "It's my job to protect you." 

Marked - 135 

"Since when?" 

"Since you're my fucking mate!" 

"Bullshit." Cody turned on him, eyes flashing gold. "Ten 
years. Ten years I was on the run. You watched them 
drive me out. Cut me. Shoot at me. Throw stones at me! 
Ten years I starved and hurt and ran! Just because I can 
change, you don't have the right to protect me!" 

"We've been over this! I was young and scared when 
that happened, and then you never gave me a chance 
after that!" 

"And I'm not young, scared, or in need of protection. I'll 
heal. It won't scar. Leave it alone!" 

"I can't!" Cody was asking the impossible. 

"You don't have a choice!" The bathroom door slammed 
between them. 

Growling, he slammed it open again. "What the fuck 
was that?" 

"I said you don't have a motherfucking choice!" Cody 
snapped at him. 

"Why are you fucking mad at me? I didn't do this to 
you!" He was going to deck Cody any second now. Or 
toss him up against the tile and fuck him through it. 

"Because you're miserable and I know it. You fucking 
hate this, and I'm not going to be able to stay." 

Marked - 136 

"You're fucking staying!" He pushed Cody up against 
the wall, mouth dropping to cover his mate's. This was 
the thing that made sense -- this here, their connection. 
He pushed his tongue into Cody's mouth, the taste there 
necessary and right. His Mate. His. He wasn't ever 
letting Cody go. Ever. 

Growling now, he humped against Cody as he devoured 
his mate's mouth. Cody fought back, growling into their 
kiss, fingers like claws against him. It was a clash of 
heat and anger and passion and it was perfect. Sharp 
sounds pushed between his lips, Cody's tongue slapping 
against his. He tore at Cody's pants, not caring if he 
ripped them or not in the process. 

"My only pair, asshole," Cody growled. 

"I'll buy you a fucking new pair." Or make Cody walk 
around naked. That worked, too. This whole working for 
cash with dangerous people was ridiculous. Ridiculous. 

He got those jeans off with only a little rippage and then 
it was his own clothes that were in the way. His mate. 
He could smell blood, sweat. Growling again, he bent to 
lick at the knife wound. It was already starting to heal, to 
knit at the edges. 

He felt the anger surging through him again anyway. 
Someone had hurt his mate. Cody's fingers combed 
through his hair, petting him, stroking him. He was torn 
between growling over Cody being hurt and nuzzling 
into the sweet touches. 

Marked - 137 

"Go back to the job you love, Barker. Make yourself 
happy again." 

"You make me happy, mate." It was true. 

"Not happy enough." There was that quiet loss, that 
shame in Cody's eyes. 

"What are you talking about?" He was unsettled and 
growly. Sure, he didn't like the day shift, but he wanted 
to spend some time with Cody. Besides, someone had 
hurt his mate and it had his hackles all up. 

"Take the night shift back." Cody slid away from him, 
turned the water on. 

"And have what? Five minutes a day to spend with 
you?" Cody had a fine fucking ass. 

"Don't exaggerate." 

"I'm not! You're away all day, I'd be leaving as you 
came in." 

"It's not like we're friends, Barker. We fuck, a lot. We 
don't hang out; we don't talk. We can fuck in the 
mornings before I leave for work." 

"You're my mate." Why was Cody being like this? He 
growled, pushed the man into the shower. 

"Stop pushing me!" Cody shoved back. "Why can't you 
be happy?" 

"I am fucking happy! I'm overfuckingjoyed!" 

Marked - 138 

"Liar. You're fucking grumpy all the time!" 

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I'm 
pissed right now because someone fucking cut you!" 

"They did. Do you know how to keep from shifting 
when you get hurt?" Cody's moods changed like the 
winds. 

His eyes went wide. "You shifted?" 

Cody blushed dark, head ducking. 

"Oh, shit. Did they see?" 

Shifters weren't a secret, but they tended to keep to 
themselves under the full moon. And hell, Cody was the 
only one he knew who could shift outside of the full 
moon. "Was this a shifter-friendly job site?" If it was 
Clan, well, that would make it both easier and more 
complicated. He still wasn't sure what the Elders were 
going to think of a shifter who wasn't subject to the 
usual laws. 

"Only one guy. He's a drunk. I... I should go, huh? 
Before I cause more problems." 

"No. No, you should stay right here. If word gets out to 
the Elders, they'll summon us." Hell, he was surprised 
they hadn't already. Someone had to have reported that 
Cody was back. Maybe they hadn't recognized him 
without the yellow, glowing eyes. 

"I'm not going to see them." 

Marked - 139 

"I'm not sure we're going to have a choice." The Elders 
were... well, the Elders. 

"I won't. Period. They're not my pack." 

"They run the Clan, though." They ran the city, the 
werewolf side, anyway. 

"Not my problem." Cody met his eyes, straight on. "I'm 
not Clan. I'm Banished." 

"But you won't be anymore." 

"I will never be Clan. Never again." 

Barker opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to 
say. He was shocked. 

"They turned on me, drove me out like a freak. I was a 
kid, Barker. I was so fucking scared." 

"I know, mate." Barker tugged Cody to him, held him 
close. "Don't you just want to be home?" 

"Don't you understand, mate? There is no home for me." 

"This is your home! Here, with me." 

Cody didn't answer him. 

"You don't want to be here with me?" How could Cody 
want to leave him again? He didn't understand. 

Marked - 140 

"I want to be here with you. I always wanted to belong 
here." 

Relief swept through him at Cody's words. "Good. 
Good. That's what I want, too. What I've always 
wanted." He growled a little for emphasis. 

"They won't let it happen, mate. I think the world is 
conspiring against me." 

"We'll stand together. It's not just you anymore." He had 
to remind himself that Cody had been on his own for ten 
years. That was a long time to be bitter, to hate people. 
To hate him. 

He let his lips explore Cody's face, touch gently. His 
fingers slid just as gently over the warm flesh, not 
tickling, seeking to arouse. The easy touches seemed to 
melt his mate, seduce him into stepping closer. He 
licked at the corner of Cody's lips. A soft rumble 
sounded, and Cody's hands wrapped around his waist. 

"Want you, mate." He licked his way into Cody's mouth. 

"You have me. Bed?" 

"Uh-huh." He leaned into the shower to turn off the 
water and then took Cody's hand, taking him to the big 
bed. 

He forced himself to keep the touches, the kisses, quiet 
and easy. He forced himself to relax, to let go of the idea 
that this was the last time. He laid Cody out on the bed 
and stretched next to him, fingers exploring the tight 
abs. 

Marked - 141 

"Mmm..." Cody groaned, arched for him. So fine. So 
sensual. 

He licked at Cody's lips and then began to slowly work 
his way down, lips and tongue exploring. He'd never 
really been able to take his time, relax. Enjoy this 
beautiful man. He found one of the little nipples and 
teased it with the tip of his tongue, encouraging it to 
tighten up. 

"Oh. Oh. Mate." Listen to that need. 

He tugged Cody's nipple between his lips, flicked across 
the tip again, and then simply breathed on it. Tremors 
started rocking Cody's body, tiny little shivers that made 
his cock ache. He mouthed his way over to Cody's other 
nipple, giving it the same gentle, sweet treatment. 

"Barker. Barker, God..." Cody's fingers danced over his 
skin. 

"Yeah, that's me, babe, your god," he teased. 

"Don't stop. Please." 

No, he wasn't going to stop. He was going to make Cody 
wild with need. 

His mate wanted him -- the scent filled the air. He 
reached for the nipple he'd abandoned, pinching lightly 
as he continued to tongue the other one. Cody's little 
cries were like music, ringing out, filling the air. He 
moved down, tongue heading for those ripped abs. The 

Marked - 142 

scent of his mate was heady, matched only by the flavor 
of Cody on his tongue. 

He circled Cody's navel, tongue dancing over the peaks 
and valleys of Cody's stomach. There were dozens of 
tiny faded scars, and he touched each one, licked each 
one. He breathed on them and memorized where they 
were. It had been a hard life for his mate. His mate. He 
was going to make the rest of Cody's life right. 

After licking and tracing and nosing the scars on Cody's 
chest and belly, he moved to nuzzle into the dip between 
hip and cock, picking up the strong musk. 

Cody groaned, fingers brushing through his hair. "Mate. 
Oh, mate." The call was so clear, so happy. 

"Mine," he murmured, rubbing his cheek against Cody's 
erection. 

"Yes..." That cock dripped for him. 

He lapped at the tip, drawing the flavor in. It made him 
rumble deep in his chest. His mate called softly, pleasure 
on his tongue. He wanted to swallow Cody's prick whole 
and demand his mate's orgasm, but he made himself go 
slowly, made himself lick and clean it first. Cody's hips 
rose and fell, the hot cock sliding on his tongue. 

He slowly added suction, mouth working as the hard 
flesh moved in and out of his mouth. Soft words filled 
the air, Cody's voice husky and rough. The sounds went 
right to his balls, making him harder than ever. 

Marked - 143 

Cody's thighs parted, the offer clear. He slid his fingers 
between them, finding the soft-skinned, wrinkled little 
hole. The muscle shifted for him, moved for him. 

"You want me." 

"Yes. God, yes." 

"Good. I want you, too." He pushed his head between 
Cody's thighs and began to lick that sweet little hole. 

"Barker. Barker. Love." The single word slid down his 
spine like liquid heat. 

Humming happily, he licked again, and pointed his 
tongue, pushing it right into Cody's hole. The smell of 
Cody overwhelmed him, left him shaken and groaning, 
needing more of his mate. He fucked the sweet hole with 
his tongue, pushing as deep as he could. 

"Need you. Need. Please. Mate. More. Fuck, hot." Cody 
was babbling for him. 

He got his mate good and wet with his tongue, and then 
rose up over Cody, cock pushing against Cody's hole. 

"Yes. Yes. Yes." It was a chant, a prayer, and Cody 
arched, bore down and took him in. 

So fucking good. Groaning, he pushed, meeting Cody's 
movements and getting in deep. Blue eyes met his, 
human and solid and focused. He brought their mouths 
together, kissing Cody as he pushed into his mate's body 
again and again. 

Marked - 144 

Love. 

The word echoed in his head. In. His. Head. 

As their lips parted, it came out, the word whispering 
across Cody's lips. "Love." Cody's eyes were glowing, 
gold. 

He watched, held the gaze while they came together. 

Mate. Cody's voice whispered in his mind. Oh, fuck. 

He thrust harder, filling his mate. He smelled Cody's 
seed, the scent filling his nose. 

"Mate!" He cried out, his hips snapping. Then he was 
filling Cody with his spunk. 

"Mate..." Cody's hands wrapped around his shoulders, 
keeping him close. 

"Yeah." He nuzzled Cody's neck, breathing his mate in. 

Cody's heartbeat echoed inside him, boom. Boom. 
Boom. 

"I can feel your heart beating." 

Cody nodded, stared at him. "I hear you, inside." 

"That's crazy." It was crazy. 

Cody frowned at him. I'm not crazy. 

He reached back, staring. Fuck. Fuck, he'd heard that. 

Marked - 145 

I'm not crazy. 

Mate. He didn't say it out loud, just... thought it at Cody. 

Cody nodded. "Yes. Yes, Barker. Your Mate." 

"How?" He could hear Cody inside him, could speak to 
Cody without speaking. How did that happen? 

"How the hell should I know?" 

"I don't know..." He shrugged, pulling out and settling 
next to Cody. "I've never heard of it happening before." 

"We're freaks." Cody didn't sound terribly upset. 

"As long as you're not running away again, I can live 
with that." 

Cody licked his bottom lip. "Go back to your night shift, 
Barker. I'm not running." 

"I don't know, babe." He shrugged again. The idea was 
very appealing, but honestly, he wanted to see Cody 
more than just a few minutes between shifts. 

"If they had crappy day labor jobs at night, I'd take 
them, but that's why they're called day labor." 

"Maybe we can find you a crappy night job?" 

Cody shrugged. "Whatever there is. I'm not picky. I 
have just enough to pay for a room and food." 

Marked - 146 

"You're staying here," he growled. 

"Still, I have to help." 

"I'm not hurting for money." He didn't like thinking of 
Cody out there being hurt by assholes, mugged, stabbed. 

God, what had Cody wanted to do, be, all those years 
ago? Hadn't the man had dreams? Ambitions? Barker 
wracked his brain, trying to remember something about 
Cody before things went to hell. "If you could do 
anything..." 

"With what, mate?" 

"With your life. You're not broken anymore, you can 
turn anytime you want. What do you want?" 

"I don't want anything." 

"You have to want something." Everybody wanted 
something. 

Cody shrugged. "I don't hurt. It's enough." 

"Mate..." He pressed a fierce kiss on Cody. 

Cody blinked, surprised, then those lips parted. He slid 
his tongue in, tasting his mate again. He would never 
tire of this flavor, of the feelings inside. He could feel 
the wolf inside Cody now, close to the surface, close to 
the edge. 

"You want to go back to my grandfather's cabin this 
weekend?" Cody could run and run and not worry about 

Marked - 147 

anyone seeing him. He liked it up there, whether he was 
wolf or man. 

"I would love that. This place is... huge now. The smells 
are everywhere." 

"It's good here, though, right?" 

"This place -- your home -- is good." 

"Smells like us." At the moment it smelled strongly of 
them having sex. 

"Smells like peace." 

"Oh." That made him want to kiss Cody hard again. 

Cody kissed his wrist. "I brought food home." 

On cue, his stomach rumbled loudly. 

Cody's laughter made him snort, and long fingers tickled 
his ribs. He rolled them, trying to get away from those 
unerring fingers. 

Mate. I know you. 

It startled him again to hear Cody inside him. Mate. 

Cody's nose slid on his collarbone, suddenly wet and 
cold, the change faster now that the moon was closer 
again. Mate. 

"I can still hear you!" 

Marked - 148 

Cody blinked at him, chuffing softly, laughing at him. 
He batted his mate and mentally stuck out his tongue. 

The wolf -- and Cody was a stunning wolf -- bounced 
away, tail wagging. 

Come back here! 

Cody bounced back up to him, muzzle sliding on his 
cheek. Mate? 

He chuckled and rubbed Cody's face. Yes. Mate. Mine. 

Cody flopped on his legs, panting hard. 

Love you like this, mate. He didn't have to concentrate or 
anything, his thoughts just slipping into Cody's mind 
like they were talking. 

Cody's tongue lolled. Love being whole. 

Yeah, it was wonderful. He dug his fingers along Cody's 
flanks, rubbing hard. He found a spot that made one leg 
kick, Cody's eyes crossing with pleasure. He couldn't 
help it; he started laughing. Cody's tongue swiped across 
his belly, the move lazy and happy. 

This is good, huh? And this being able to talk to Cody 
while he was wolfed out was awesome. He wondered if 
it would still work when he was shifted as well. 

Perfect. The satisfaction was obvious, Cody slumped 
down against him. 

Marked - 149 

This moment, right here, this was what made everything 
else worth it. 

Right now he wouldn't trade their life, all of it, for 
anything. 

Marked - 150 

Chapter Ten 

Barker nodded at Julio, the night shift bouncer giving 
him a little salute. 

"Busy night?" Barker asked, trying not to miss it too 
much. The day shift still sucked, but he wasn't willing to 
give up being on the same schedule as Cody. Even if the 
asshole was wolfing out a lot. 

Julio shrugged, big shoulders moving beneath the tight, 
black T-shirt. "The usual. Broke up a few fights." 

"Busted some heads?" Barker asked, knowing the 
answer already from the feral grin on Julio's face. 

"Got it in one." Julio waved at Matty behind the bar and 
headed out. 

Barker scanned the place before leaning against the end 
of the bar, from where he could see everything going on. 
It was pretty empty at this time of day, wouldn't really 
get busy until ten or eleven tonight, long after Barker 
had gone home. It made for long, boring days. 

By three, Barker was more than happy to be knocking 
off. He wanted to get home; no, needed to, needed to get 
Cody out of the city so they could run together on his 
grandfather's land when the change took him. Matty 
handed over the take-out bag with steak that he'd 
ordered and went to draw a glass of beer for the guy at 
the other end of the bar who'd been drinking steadily 
since noon. 

Marked - 151 

One of the few patrons got up from the tables on the 
other side of the dance floor and slowly made his way 
over. He was only a few feet away before Barker 
recognized him. Harry Bongard. Harry was an old friend 
and newly appointed Elder. He hadn't talked to the man 
in... long enough it made Barker nervous that Harry was 
seeking him out now. He tried to hide his worry. 

"James Barker." 

He nodded. "Harry. Congratulations on becoming an 
Elder." 

"Thanks. I wish I could say this was a social visit, but 
I'm actually here... well, not on Clan business per se." 

Barker's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" 

"Rumor has it Cody Donner is back." 

"So what if he is?" 

Harry's eyes narrowed at his tone. "He's Outcast." 

"He's not hurting anyone." 

"Rumor has it his eyes don't glow anymore." 

"Rumor's busy having it, it seems." Barker kept it light, 
willed his heart to keep steady and not beat like a 
runaway train. He didn't want Harry smelling anything 
on him. 

"Rumor always does." Harry shrugged casually. 
"Someone claims they saw a wolf a week or two ago." 

Marked - 152 

"In the city? In our city? That doesn't seem right. Must 
have been a big dog." 

"Maybe." Harry's eyes narrowed; he wasn't so casual 
anymore, the tension clear in the way he was standing. 
"I'd be worried, though, if I knew a wolf who couldn't 
change and then suddenly did change, only not on the 
full moon. I'd be worried about that wolf. About what 
might happen to him if the Elders of the City got a hold 
of him. I mean something like that, we'd want to inspect 
it, dissect it to see what went so wrong." 

Barker tried not to react, but shit. They knew. The 
Elders knew and they wanted to tear Cody apart to find 
out what made him different. "Are you threatening me?" 
Make Harry think he was worried about himself, pretend 
he didn't have a clue what else the Elder could mean. 

"It's more of a warning, really. I don't think you should 
spend the full moon in the city. It's not a good time for 
strange wolves to be here." Harry's eyes were hard, but 
Barker thought he saw a hint of pity in them, lurking 
somewhere in the back. 

"I usually leave town for the change." 

"Good. Good. That would be for the best." Harry patted 
his arm and then turned and walked out, not looking 
back once. 

Marked - 153 

Chapter Eleven 

The moon was coming. He hadn't been able to 
remember how to shift for the last day. Well, he'd be 
honest, he was happier wolfed out -- the world was 
easier, quieter, more reasonable. So maybe he hadn't 
tried hard, but still he had tried. 

He could feel Barker getting closer, could hear Barker 
in his head. Not talking to him, more... happy to be 
close. He'd gotten the truck gassed up, picked up 
groceries after work. They were going out to Barker's 
grandfather's for the full moon. 

Cody hopped up on the window, looked out over the 
city. He wanted to go, to run. His tail wagged, hard. 

The door opened and closed. "Hey, mate. I'm home. And 
I have fresh meat." 

He bounded over. Mate! 

"Hey." Barker dropped down and started petting and 
scritching. 

Cody licked and lapped, welcoming Barker home, tail 
pounding. Barker rolled with him, and it was almost as 
good as having his mate as a wolf. 

Love you. Smell so good! His thoughts tumbled from 
him. 

Barker gasped and buried his face in Cody's neck, 
rubbing against his fur. Oh, mate. 

Marked - 154 

He panted, nuzzling, so happy. 

"You ready to go, mate? If we leave now, we'll be there 
before the moon comes." Barker sounded in a hurry. His 
mate wanted to run with him! 

He nodded, panted. 

"You should eat first. I bought you meat." Barker 
grabbed the bag he'd left by the door and pulled out a 
package of steak. 

His mouth started watering and he bounced. Smells 
good! 

"Nice and fresh. Not as fresh as what we'll get up at the 
cabin, but it'll do." Barker got the steak out of the stupid 
plastic and put it on the floor for him. 

He snapped the steak up, leaving the best part for his 
mate. 

Barker kissed the top of his head. "Go for it, mate. I had 
something on the way home. Raw meat won't be on my 
diet until the moon comes up." 

He nosed the piece over. You're sure, love? It's so good. 

Barker rubbed a hand over his head, tugged on his ruff. 
"I'm sure, mate. Tonight we'll bring down something 
good, fatten ourselves up for the full moon nights." 

His head bobbed and he snapped the bite up. So good. 
Laughing, Barker lounged on the ground while he ate. 

Marked - 155 

"You feel like a little fun before the drive?" 

He chuffed softly, headbutting his lover. Of course he 
did. 

"Cool. Let's see who can hit the bed first!" Barker 
hauled himself up and ran for the big bed. 

Cody waited, then leaped, legs driving him. 

Barker went down with an "oof," rolling beneath him. 
"Mate! You're supposed to shift." 

He rested his paws on Barker's shoulders and thought 
about his human form. 

Nothing happened. 

"Cody?" 

Mate? He yipped, suddenly scared. 

"Hey, it's okay." Barker rubbed his neck. "You just 
forgot how, huh?" 

He panted. Yes. Yes. It'd been so long, so many days. 

"Okay. Just think, hmm?" Barker touched him softly. 
Remember kissing me. 

Kissing you. You touching me. His mate was growing 
more affectionate, warmer, every day. 

Making love. Can't do that as the wolf, mate. 

Marked - 156 

Help me. I'm stuck. 

Images of him and Barker kissing filled his head. Oh. 
Oh, his mate. His Barker. His lover. Touching him, 
loving him. 

Change for me, mate, and it's yours. 

His. Cody panted, eyes on Barker's, trying so hard to get 
what he needed. 

"Come on, Cody. Sex is good. But I'm not humping your 
wolf." 

He chuffed, holding Barker's gaze. Sex. He liked sex. 

Mate. Please. 

He could feel himself changing, feel himself growing 
longer, losing his tail. 

"Fuck, yes." Barker's mouth latched onto his, the kiss 
hot. 

"Mate." He opened, arms wrapped around his lover. 

Barker rolled him, putting him beneath the hard body. 

"Hey." He licked Barker's jaw, nibbled the strong jaw. 

Barker laughed, grinding their lower halves together. 
"Hey. Haven't seen this side of you in a few days." 

Marked - 157 

"I know. It's easier, fuzzy. I'm sorry." He should have 
been working. 

"It's okay. Just missed doing this." 

"Mmm." He agreed, mostly. 

Barker took his mouth, kissed him soundly. Barker 
tasted good, better than the meat had, and suddenly 
Cody was hungry, wanting, needing. The kisses left him 
breathless and went on and on. He curled up, dragged 
their cocks together, and started rocking. 

Barker moaned and bucked into his hand. "Yeah, yeah. 
Missed this." 

"Feel good." He grunted, head thrown back. 

Barker's mouth closed over his throat, teeth marking 
him. Cody's eyes flew open and he howled, balls 
drawing up. Barker bit down harder, hand joining his 
around their cocks. 

"Mate. Yours. Please." His hips jerked faster. 

"Yes. Mine." Barker's growl vibrated along his skin. 

He hummed softly. Their hands moved on their cocks, 
sliding together, pushing them closer to the edge. Cody 
laughed, feeling light and free. The moon was coming 
and he didn't hurt. 

Come with me, mate. 

Come... 

Marked - 158 

"Yes. Come on." Barker squeezed their pricks. 

His teeth rattled as he shot, pleasure flooding him. 

"Mmm. Yes!" More heat bubbled up between them as 
Barker came, too. 

"Mate." He hummed, nuzzling into the strong neck. 

Barker panted and moaned softly. "Wow. Still 
amazing." 

"Yeah. You smell so good." He lapped at Barker's 
throat. 

"I smell like yours." Barker knew. Barker understood. 

"Yes." He sighed happily. "Yours." 

"You are. My mate." Barker kissed his skin. "You 
looking forward to the country?" 

"I'm looking forward to running with you." To being 
free, out of the city. 

"Yeah. It's going to be awesome." Barker's lips slid 
along his collarbone. "Maybe we can stay for longer 
than just the full moon." 

Cody hummed, eyelids getting heavy. 

"We should probably get going so I'm not still driving 
when the moon shows up." 

Marked - 159 

"I can drive." He waited for Barker's laughter. He was 
liable to shift at the slightest provocation and this was 
only his second full moon. His first moon with no pain. 

Barker snorted. "If we leave in the next ten minutes, it 
won't be an issue." 

"Are you laughing at me?" He chuffed softly. 

"Would I do that?" 

"You would." He stole another kiss. 

Barker did laugh this time, rubbing their noses together. 
"I would." 

"Let's go play, Mate." He stretched and wiggled, body 
awake and aware and alive. 

"Yeah. I can feel the moon tugging at me. It's going to 
be a good couple nights." Barker gave him a hard kiss 
and then bounced up and started getting dressed. "I can't 
wait to get out there." 

"Me, too." The wolf wanted him, but he tried not to. 
Barker deserved company on the drive. 

"Better get dressed, mate. No nakedness until we're at 
the cabin." 

"Okay. I've almost forgotten what clothes feel like." 

That had Barker laughing. "You could start a nudist 
colony for our kind." 

Marked - 160 

He shook his head, suddenly chilled. There wasn't 
anyone like him. He didn't have a kind. 

He went to pull on his only pair of jeans, one of Barker's 
shirts. 

Mate? The touch to his mind was tentative, soft. 

He shivered, then the urge to go to Barker was 
irresistible, so he went. I'm still a freak. 

Barker's arms went around him, sheltered him. No. 
You're special. 

He hummed, cheek on Barker's shoulder. He wasn't 
weak. He wasn't. 

"Come on, mate. Let's get out of here and leave the 
world behind for a while." 

"Sounds perfect." Love. 

Barker kissed him again, the word "love" echoed back 
into his head, along with the feeling of it wrapping 
around him. He relaxed, the unwelcome tension sliding 
away down his spine. 

Barker grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the 
door. "Time to go." 

He stumbled along behind, chuffing softly. Grinning, 
Barker squeezed his hand and led him down the 
stairwell, moving quickly. His mate was eager. They 
bounded down the stairs, the moon seeming to call them 
from everywhere. 

Marked - 161 

Barker soon had them on the open road, headed for his 
grandfather's cabin, headed for where they could be free. 

*** 

Barker waited, naked, by the truck, the moon's power 
right there, moments away from turning him into his 
wolf. Cody was already there, running rings around him, 
and Barker would have sworn his mate was laughing at 
him. It made him growl, and he glared at the sky. Come 
on! He needed to change. Nothing else mattered right 
now. They were safe up here, away from the city. 

Cody was giddy, and Barker knew that part of it was 
relief after ten years of agony, that finally his mate could 
run, jump, feel. 

Mate! Love! Come play! 

"Yeah, yeah. Soon, mate." This was Cody's reward for 
having to go through that -- being able to change 
whenever he wanted. Barker growled at the sky again. 

Cody's tongue slid over his thigh, muzzle dangerously 
close to his balls. 

"Careful, mate!" He needed those. 

A cold, wet nose nudged them playfully. 

"Hey!" His laughter turned into yips as the change began 
to take him. 

Marked - 162 

His mate danced away, barking happily, calling to him. 
He called back and bounded after the lean flanks, soon 
overtaking his mate and leading them deeper into the 
forest. 

His mate was beautiful -- sleek and long, fast and light-
footed. The moon shone down, giving everything, his 
mate, a glow. Those glowing eyes shone with happiness, 
and Cody headbutted him happily, the scent of pleasure 
and home and health filling his nose. He pounced and 
rolled with Cody, barking and chuffing as they played. 

Then the scent of a rabbit caught his nose and he froze, 
entire body on alert as he scented the air. Mate! Rabbit! 

Cody stilled, nostrils flaring, muscles tensed to pounce. 

He wanted to take the lead, he wanted that very badly, 
but he held himself back. For Cody. Get it, mate! 

Cody didn't hesitate, leaped forward and pounced, 
snapping the hare up, the wild scream cut short. Barker 
gave a proud bark. Look at his mate, hunting, 
succeeding. The treat was brought to him, the prey 
offered over with a deep bow. 

He tore into it, ripping open the belly and taking the 
choicest bits for himself, then he nipped at Cody's 
muzzle, leaving the rest of the rabbit for his mate. 

The carcass disappeared quickly, then Cody was running 
again, tail up. Chuffing happily, he gave chase, his 
muscles stretching, warming up. It felt so good to just let 
go and run. It felt even better to do it with his mate. 

Marked - 163 

He'd spent dozens of moons here, running and hunting, 
searching. Now he only needed to play. He stopped and 
put his head back, howling to the moon, to his mate. It 
only took a heartbeat before his lover's voice joined his, 
the harmony perfect to his ears. 

Yes! 

He howled once more and then began running again, the 
wind in his fur, a thousand scents in his nose. 

The biggest one of all was Cody. 

Marked - 164 

Chapter Twelve 

Barker lay on the grass in a clearing, the sunlight warm 
and good on his skin. He didn't have a clue how far 
away from the cabin they were, but he didn't much care 
either. He and Cody had run and hunted and played all 
night long, and now he was exhausted. The grass felt 
good under his back, though, and the sun was making 
him sleepy. 

Just one thing was missing. Mate? he called out for his 
lover. 

Cody loped over to him, plopped down beside him, still 
fuzzy. Mate. 

Barker laughed. "You're still wolfed out, babe." 

Oops. Cody stared at him, and Barker could see the man 
trying. 

"You like the wolf better than the man." He was teasing, 
but he also thought maybe it was true. 

Of course, Cody had ten years' worth of full moons to 
make up for. 

The human slowly appeared, slowly took form. "No. It's 
easier, fuzzy." 

He nodded. It was. Everything got distilled down to base 
instincts. He slid his hand over Cody's belly. "Some 
things are better like this, though." 

"Mmm." Cody's cock started filling, slowly. 

Marked - 165 

"Yes. That." He laughed and rolled over onto his mate, 
finding Cody's mouth for a lazy kiss. 

"Your butt's going to sunburn..." 

"I'll risk it." Some things were more important. 

He let himself look at Cody for a minute, admire. His 
mate was filling out, becoming healthier, happier. There 
wasn't even a scar from where that asshole had knifed 
his lover. The memory of that and how it had probably 
exposed Cody had him growling again, and he bent to 
take Cody's mouth to keep from vocalizing it. 

Easy. I'm right here .Yes. And Cody would stay that 
way. 

Mate. Mine. He rubbed their bodies together, the need 
right there at the surface, just like always -- moon or no 
moon. 

Cody's belly was warm, fuzzy, soft against his cock. He 
licked into Cody's mouth, his mate tasting so good, so 
right. 

"Horny bastard." Cody's tongue slipped against his, 
caressing him lazily. 

"And you're not?" Don't you want me, mate? 

With every inch of me. 

"Well, then. You're a pot and I'm a kettle." 

Marked - 166 

Cody whistled and then cracked up, the laughter pushing 
between his lips. He sucked it in, along with Cody's 
tongue, kissing his mate hard. The laughter died away, 
Cody diving into the kiss, fingers tangling in his hair. He 
let Cody lead the kiss this time, opening his mouth to his 
mate. 

"Stop wallowing in the dirt, you two. We've got business 
to discuss." He stilled, shocked, body covering Cody's as 
he looked up into shockingly familiar blue eyes. The 
female looked just like Cody. Just. Well, except for the 
breasts and the hugely pregnant belly. 

He leaped up, growling, standing between the woman 
and his mate. "This is private land," he snarled. What if 
the Elders had sent her? He dismissed the thought 
immediately. She was pregnant and he would have seen 
her before. 

"You think?" Long blonde hair was twisted up into a 
casual bun. "Looking good, Cody. You grew up well." 

"I don't think -- I know this is private land. It belongs to 
me." Who the hell was this woman? 

She laughed, nodded, and there wasn't a hint of fear on 
her. "I'm fully aware that this is John's land." 

John? His grandfather? "Just who the hell are you?" He 
stayed between her and Cody, still on full alert, still 
protecting his mate. 

Blue eyes rolled. "Don't snarl at me. Cody, don't you 
know me? Even a little bit?" 

Marked - 167 

Cody shook his head, stepping to one side. "No. No, I 
don't think so." 

"Don't make me ask you again -- who the fuck are you?" 
He might have been more polite to a woman, and a 
pregnant one at that, except he and Cody were naked as 
jaybirds and she was trespassing on his fucking land. 
There wasn't supposed to be anyone else here. 

"Cody." Her eyes began to glow, her face changing. 

"Riana." Cody stumbled forward. "You're dead!" 

Riana? Cody's oldest sister? No. No way. She'd died 
years ago. Not only that, this woman was changing. Just 
like Cody could, in full sunlight. He wrapped his arms 
around Cody, the instinct to protect his mate still strong. 

Cody growled softly, and Riana stepped closer. 
"Brother." The word was a deep growl. 

"You're dead." Barker repeated the words flatly. This 
wasn't making any sense. 

"Cast out." 

"You're too young to be her." 

Riana snorted, tossed her hair. "I'm almost forty. Too 
fucking old to be whelping again, that's for sure." 

He could feel Cody shiver, body trying to change behind 
him. 

Marked - 168 

Don't, mate. Don't let her know you can change during 
the day. 

Is she real? Is it her? He could smell the panic on Cody. 

She's there, but I don't know if she's who she says she is. 
Stay calm, mate. 

Cody's fingers clenched his. 

"I'm not going away, boys. We have to talk. The Clan's 
coming for you." 

"You going to let us put on some clothes first?" he 
asked. He didn't trust her, not for a second. 

"Sure." Those glowing eyes met Cody's. "Want to run 
with me?" 

I don't trust her, mate. 

Cody frowned at her. "I don't know you." 

"Liar." She smiled, winked, and headed back toward the 
cabin, unafraid. 

Barker growled. He didn't like this. Not at all. This 
woman who looked so much like his Cody, acting like 
she owned his land. His land where Cody was supposed 
to be safe from the Elders, from the Clan. 

He took Cody's hand and slowly followed. 

*** 

Marked - 169 

"I didn't think you'd ever change, you know? I thought 
you'd have done it already if you were like us." 

Cody stared at the woman, trying to remember what he 
knew of his oldest sister. He'd been a child -- five or six 
-- when she died. Disappeared. Went away. 

Barker growled and handed him his jeans, his mate 
already having pulled on a pair of his own. "Start 
talking. From the beginning." 

"Well, I was born. Grew up. Got boobs. Then Mom 
whelped this little shithead." She was laughing at him, 
but the sound was oddly joyous. "You were so cute 
when you were born, so quick." 

"Stop it. My sister is dead." Riana was dead. 

Those blue eyes went hard as glass. "Should I remind 
you, Cody? How they come all in a group -- how there 
are guns and knives and rocks? How they drive you to 
the end of the packlands? How they whip you until you 
bleed?" 

Cody growled, teeth baring. 

Barker puffed up, stepping half in front of him --
protecting him. "You're like Cody, then. You couldn't 
change and now you can?" 

"Yes. I was mated, and the change didn't come. They 
drove me out and my mate followed me. We're up in the 
high mountains -- about six of us from all over the 
continent. Well, four families and two outcasts. Their 

Marked - 170 

mates didn't come. I have babies. There are four; this is 
number five." 

Cody listened to her go on and on. No. No, there was no 
way. "Go away." 

Barker backed him up immediately. "You heard him. 
This is my land. Get off it." 

"They're coming, boys. The Clan. They'll say they're 
sorry and then draw you in, and the first time you 
change in the light, outside the moon, they'll make you 
pay." 

"I won't deal with the Clan." He hated them. 

Barker growled. "The Clan have done enough because 
he couldn't change; they're not touching him again." 

"You don't think the Elders want to know why?" 

Barker sucked in a breath. "You mean they'd take him 
apart to figure it out, don't you?" Mate, check the road, 
make sure no one's coming. This is my land, you should 
be safe here. 

I have to get out of here. He wasn't going back. Ever. 

Check the road, then come back and we'll figure it out. 
Barker looked at him, met his eyes and held them. I'm 
not losing you. 

Promise? He needed to know. 

Marked - 171 

Mine, mate. For always. If they come for you, they have 
to go through me first. 

Riana, if that was really her, growled at them. "Are you 
listening to me?" 

"Aren't you supposed to be leaving?" 

"Yes, but you're my baby brother and I'm risking my 
mate's hissy fit by coming to help you. Asshole." 

"Where the hell were you when he didn't change on his 
first full moon?" Barker demanded. 

"Three hundred miles away with my family!" Her teeth 
flashed. "I got a call warning me that he'd changed, that 
he was in trouble." 

"And you didn't come for him." Barker snarled, and 
Cody thought he heard guilt in the words. 

"No." She met Cody's eyes. "I changed when I got 
pregnant. I thought... I thought it would be worse, being 
with us, knowing you were screwed." 

Cody chuffed softly, shrugged. "I didn't get pregnant." 

"That's for damn sure." Barker started pacing, a low 
growl in his chest. "We can get in the truck, go until the 
moon hits again." 

"Go where?" That exhaustion hit him again, deep and 
low. This was ridiculous. "I don't have any connections 
with the Pack." 

Marked - 172 

"No, but I do, obviously. Your return had my phone 
ringing." 

"We're safe here," growled Barker. "And if you want to 
make a stand here, we will. This is my land. They can't 
just come here and take you." Barker growled at Riana 
as he said this last. 

Riana growled back. "I'm not taking anyone. If you want 
to stay, stay. You're an adult. You're also my baby 
brother... my..." 

"Prove it." He'd had enough. 

"What?" 

"Prove you're Riana." 

Her laughter surprised him. "That's easy. It was 
storming when you were born, you're allergic to 
strawberries, you have a weird birthmark on your inner 
thigh. You were scared of roosters when you were a 
little boy, and you had a stuffed cat named 'Wicket' that 
you slept with until the other boys found out and teased 
you." 

Does that make her legit, mate? Would anyone else 
know that? 

He shook his head. One or two, yes. All of it? No. 

So she's real. What do you want to do? If we make her 
go away, we can plan. Because she's not explaining 
anything. 

Marked - 173 

"Look, stay, go. Whatever. I wanted to warn you, offer 
you somewhere safe. I have a family to get back to, a 
home in the country." Her eyes met his, chilly. 
"Whatever you want, kiddo." 

"You didn't say anything when I was driven out." 

"No. Just think how much more fun it is for a girl who's 
still reeling from losing her virginity." 

"Hey, lady, just stop with the one-upmanship. You 
obviously survived it. Think how much nicer it would 
have been if there was someone there for you who knew 
what the fuck was going on." Barker bristled and 
growled, clearly still not happy about her presence. 

"I did. So did you. If you need me, I'm there. Well, I'll 
be fuzzy in about two weeks until the pups are old 
enough, but my mate knows how to use a phone..." 

That made Cody blink, shake his head. "I can't do this, 
not right now." 

Barker stepped forward again, making Riana take a step 
back. "You've been told to get out, now go." 

She flipped him off. Then she just turned and headed 
away, not saying another word. 

"Fucking hell. Mate?" Barker turned to him, reached out 
for him. 

"I should go." This was all fucked up. 

Marked - 174 

Barker shook his head. "You're not running away from 
me. If you're going somewhere, I'm coming with you." 
Barker took his arm and drew him close. Are you okay, 
mate? 

No! No. I... The wolf was on him, so quickly he couldn't 
stop it. 

Mate. Mate. It's going to be okay. You're not alone. 
Barker dropped and held him, rubbed his fur. 

He keened, angry and frighten, lost and a little ill. Was 
he so wrong, so ill-made that no one could welcome 
him? Barker just kept holding him, petting him, a 
human-sounding howl answering him. He let himself 
push closer, head butting into Barker. 

"I've got you, Mate. I'm not going anywhere. Whatever's 
coming, we face together." 

He howled softly, head so heavy. 

"Cody. I love you, Mate. I have you." Barker growled a 
little. 

Love. That word rushed through him. 

Yes, Mate. Love you. 

What were they going to do? Where would they go? 

"Do you trust her?" Barker asked him, hands still petting 
him, stroking over his flanks. 

Why are we like this? She could change. 

Marked - 175 

Something in your family, I guess. I don't know, Mate. 

You should have killed me. 

Barker snarled at him. "No! There's nothing wrong with 
you. You are special." Fingers digging into his fur, 
Barker shook him a little. 

Broken. 

"You are not! Look at you! You're the wolf in the 
sunshine! You can speak to me in my head. You so 
aren't broken." 

He pressed into Barker's hands, vocalizing softly. 

"Not broken. The rest of us are. We can't do what you 
can do." 

He rested his muzzle on Barker's thigh. He needed to 
think. To run. To do something. 

I'd change if I could, mate. Change back? 

He wouldn't, except for the need in Barker's voice. The 
strong hands slid over him, rubbing against his fur, 
Barker's need to touch him clear through their link. He 
focused on his skin, his body, his legs, long and lean. 

"Cody." Groaning, Barker pressed their lips together. 

He nodded, staring into those worried eyes. 

Marked - 176 

"Together," murmured Barker. "We'll face it together. I 
won't abandon you, I swear." 

"You have a life here, in the city, with the Clan." 

"I had a half-life in the city until I got you back. And do 
you think I want to stay with people who would take 
you apart?" 

He hoped not. "I won't leave you again." 

"And I won't leave you. And I won't let them have you. 
You're amazing and you're mine. We'll run or fight or 
hide, but we'll do it together." Barker was all growl. 

"You swear it?" 

"I swear it, Mate." The words echoed through their link 
as well. Swear it. 

Swear. This was his mate. They belonged together. 

Barker sealed it with a kiss. They needed to stop running 
in circles, now. Needed to stop chasing their tails. 
Barker didn't stop kissing him until they were both 
breathless and panting. 

"What do you want to do, mate?" 

"We need to figure this out. We haven't done anything 
wrong." 

"Riana seemed to think they were coming for you 
anyway. She's right, and I won't let them have you." 

Marked - 177 

"Is my father still alive?" His mother had died when 
Riana did. When Riana left. 

Barker he shook his head. "He died around when... well. 
I don't know, mate. Maybe he is. I don't know." 

"He wasn't there. Your family was, my uncles, but Da 
wasn't. I thought he was there with my brothers, but 
now..." He shook his head. "I just assumed he was. Now 
I can't remember him being there at all." 

"None of this makes sense." Barker growled. "And I 
think we need to assume we're on our own." 

"So what do we do? Do we go to them, tell them to 
leave us alone? They haven't done anything yet." 

"Yet." Barker shook his head. "I remember what they 
did to you when you didn't change. Riana was right, 
they're not going to let you just be." 

He shivered, pulled into himself a bit. He thought so, 
too. 

Barker held him close. "I don't trust them." There was 
something hard and sad in Barker's voice. 

"I don't, either. They hate me." 

"Then we don't go to them. Maybe we don't go back at 
all." 

"Where would we go? You have a job, a place, a life..." 
He had... Barker. 

Marked - 178 

"I don't know. But if we go back, they'll try to do 
something to you..." Barker shook his head. "I don't 
know, mate. We can't risk it." 

"You could go back; I could stay here." He could stay 
fuzzy, hunt. 

"Did we or did we not already talk about how we 
weren't leaving each other this time?" 

"We did. I was offering." Butthead. 

"Well, stop offering. It makes me think you don't believe 
me when I tell you I'm not letting you go." 

"You don't have to let me go. I'll stay here, wait for 
you." He'd waited on Barker for ten years, hurting. This 
would be easy. 

"Too risky." 

He lifted his head. "Am I risking you? Now?" 

"I didn't mean for me, mate." 

"But..." He sighed, leaned in. "Why did you have to 
mate with a freak?" 

"Stop that." Barker growled and wrapped both arms 
around him. 

He almost grinned. "It's true, though." 

"You're special. There's a difference." 

Marked - 179 

"I'm a circus freak." Oh, maybe he could get a job doing 
that... 

"Stop it!" Barker growled and pushed him down. 
"You're not. You're my mate." 

"Your freaky mate." He was -- almost -- tickled. 

"Stop it," Barker demanded again, mouth covering his, 
shutting him up. 

He pushed into the kiss, trying to out-alpha his Alpha. 
Barker had the advantage of position, though, leaning 
over him and pressing him into the ground as his mouth 
was opened, invaded. He bit Barker's bottom lip, 
tugging. Barker growled and bit back. His eyes went 
wide, body arching with the zing of the sensation. 
Barker chuckled and deepened the kiss, one hand 
roaming over his skin. 

"Don't laugh at me," he grumbled low, pushing the 
words between Barker's lips. 

"Touchy," muttered Barker, grabbing his tongue and 
pulling on it. 

He grinned, groaned, nodded. Barker's kisses grew 
toothy, sharp. They should be planning. Or something. 
Barker dove into loving on him, making him feel so 
good. His back slid along the smooth, old floor, and 
their legs twined together, denim rasping. 

"Fuck. Mate." Jerking against him, Barker wasn't 
smooth in the least, but it felt so right. 

Marked - 180 

"Yes." He could handle that. He tilted his hips, bucked 
up toward the touch. 

Barker tugged at his jeans, dragging them down off his 
ass. His prick caught at the waistband, then popped back 
up and slapped his stomach. It made Barker moan, and 
his mate shimmied down, taking the head in. 

"Mate!" His head banged against the floor. 

He could feel Barker's smile, and then his mate took in 
more of him. The heat was perfect, driving all his 
worries out of his mind. The Clan could wait. Now he 
needed. Barker's head bobbed, lips tight as they slid 
along his shaft. His eyes were squeezed shut, his hips 
pumping, thrusting up into the heat. 

The suction got stronger, Barker pulling hard on him. 
His orgasm hit him like a wave, crashing over him, 
around him. Barker swallowed, taking him down, 
drawing out his orgasm. It left him melted, worn out, 
happy, and boneless. 

Barker rested his head on Cody's belly. 

"Mate." He reached down, fingers tangling in the heavy 
mass of hair. 

"I wish we could stay right here like this." 

"Yes." That would work for him. 

"Okay, done." 

Marked - 181 

His laughter chuffed out of him and Barker's joined his 
in short order. 

"How about we stay here until we have to hit the head?" 

"Okay." He grinned. "I can hold it a long time." 

Marked - 182 

Chapter Thirteen 

Barker didn't know what to do and he hated that. All his 
life, the Clan had been there, the Elders and the Alpha 
making the big decisions, setting out the laws. He didn't 
trust them, though. 

They'd run Cody off ten years ago, God only knew what 
they'd do if they found out he could shift whenever he 
wanted. Hell, they already knew. Harry had as much as 
told Barker. He'd thought they'd have time, though. He 
thought Harry had been trying to tell him that as long as 
Cody was out of the city, his mate would be safe. 

He paced, feeling the beast right there beneath the 
surface, the moon so close. Cody had changed hours 
ago, had been running, looking for strangers. The 
problem was, Barker was afraid Cody needed to look for 
friends. He wished he had someone he could ask, 
someone he could confide in. All his friends were thick 
with the Clan, though. Their allegiance would be with 
Clan. 

Cody's allegiance was with him. Solely. His mate. He 
was so fucking proud of his beautiful mate who could 
change whenever he wanted. 

Cody's tail was up, proud, as he ran near the cabin, 
barking happily. 

"Hey, Mate!" Barker laughed, wishing the moon was on 
them already so he could run with his mate. 

Cody squealed to a halt, spun around, and came 
barreling toward him. 

Marked - 183 

"Oh fuck." He braced himself. 

Four paws left the ground as his mate leaped, tongue 
lolling out to one side in pure joy. LOVE! 

He went down under the force of Cody's leap, back 
hitting the ground with a thump, the wind totally 
knocked out of him. He managed to get his arms around 
Cody, though, fingers digging into fur. Cody licked him, 
paws holding him close. 

"Wish I could be beastly with you, Mate." Soon. 
Between the moon and his mate's closeness, his body 
was eager to give over to the wolf. 

The big head landed on the center of his chest, ear over 
his heart. 

"Cody..." He closed his eyes and held on tight, Cody's 
love clear, filling him. Cody's tail thumped against his 
legs. Laughing, he ran his fingers through Cody's fur. 
"Enjoying the beast, huh?" 

He knew that, after ten years of pain and not being able 
to change, this had to be amazing for Cody, especially 
out here in the wild. Cody chuffed softly, as at home in 
his form as any shifter he'd ever known. He wanted 
Cody to feel like this all the time, free and easy and 
happy. 

The hot, long tongue cleaned his throat, his chin. He 
laughed and turned his face. Next it was Cody's cold 
nose nudging his skin. "Hey! Cold and wet, mate!" 

Marked - 184 

He could feel Cody's laughter. 

"Soon. The moon's almost here." He could feel it under 
his skin. God, he wanted to wolf out already and run and 
hunt and play with Cody. 

Come play with me. Cody's teeth were on his shoulder. 

It's not fair play while I'm like this. Still, he pushed 
Cody off and stood. 

Come play. Beautiful mate. He could feel Cody's 
admiration. 

He shook his head, but still he ran toward the trees. 
"Think you can catch me?" he shouted. As if he had 
even the smallest chance of getting away. It was a good 
thing he didn't want to. 

Cody chased slowly, giving him a head start, a chance. It 
made him laugh, made him put on as much speed as he 
could. He could feel his mate's breath on his thighs, his 
knees. Damn, Cody was fast. He put on a last burst, 
trying to get clear of the patch of rocks he was running 
over -- looking for a soft place to land. It meant 
something that Cody let him go, let him land on the soft 
grass. 

His initial instinct was to curl up to protect his belly, 
even though this was his mate, but because it was his 
mate, he didn't. Instead, he wriggled around so he was 
lying on his back, looking up into Cody's furry face. 
"You got me." 

Marked - 185 

Love you. That cold nose touched his belly, then Cody 
offered him the long neck. 

"Oh, mate." He grabbed it with his hand, squeezing just 
the barest bit before turning it into a good scratch. 
Cody's eyes rolled back, back leg thumping on the 
ground. 

He laughed, the sound turning into a growl as the change 
came over him. 

MATE! That sound was pure joy. 

He leaped up and pounced on his mate, muzzle rubbing 
along Cody's. Cody's paws nudged him, batted at him. 
He pushed back and nipped at Cody's haunches. The 
happy bark had him chuffing, rolling his mate under 
him. He put his head back and howled, the pleasure 
running between them. The moon was fat and full, his 
mate's voice harmonizing with him. 

They leaped up and started running, the ground flying 
beneath their feet. They barreled through the trees, 
heading for the creek, for the water. 

He caught the scent of a rabbit and called to his mate. 
Food! 

Cody crouched down, hunching and slowed, nostrils 
flaring. He was so proud of his mate -- Cody hadn't been 
hunting very long, but he was a natural. He circled 
around one side, making the barest bit of noise to 
distract the hare while Cody inched closer. As he 
watched, his mate pounced, grabbing the rabbit at the 
neck and shaking it, a quick, clean kill. 

Marked - 186 

Teeth bared and bloodied, Cody brought the prey to 
him, bowing deep. He licked along Cody's jaw and then 
took his share of the organs before leaving the rest for 
Cody. Cody pounced happily, almost puppy-like. He 
pranced around his mate, tail up, keeping an eye on the 
forest around them. Cody nipped his heels, bouncing 
back, wagging hard. 

Chuffing, he pretended to be headed the other way and 
then pounced to the side, going for his mate. His muzzle 
grabbed Cody's ribs, his mate scrabbling on the ground. 
He rolled them, still chuffing, mock fighting. He felt 
Cody's paws batting at him, the happy snarling making 
him pant. 

He loved this, loved playing and just being, the freedom 
intoxicating. Cody's scent filled his nose, his heart. He 
put his head back and howled out his happiness. 

Another wolf howled back and Cody stilled, 
whimpering softly. 

Barker fell silent, head tilted. 

He put his head back and howled again. a warning this 
time. This was his land. His and Cody's. The howl came 
again -- one of the Clan, he thought. They'd chased him. 
Harry had lied about them being safe here. Maybe the 
man had just wanted them out of the city, where they 
could take him and Cody down without anyone else 
knowing. 

Marked - 187 

They're here. Cody would need to decide what he 
wanted to do. Stand and fight, run, go find Riana: the 
choices were limited, but they were there. 

Cody sighed, tail dropping. You should go if you want 
to. 

If you suggest I go one more time, I'm going to beat you, 
mate. 

The air went electric. You can try. 

He snarled. We don't need to fight each other right now. 

Cody ducked his head, submitting immediately. 

Good mate. 

We should go. He hated the thought of running from his 
land, from this place that was his, but if the Clan had 
come out in full force, he and Cody couldn't stand up 
against them. Not and survive. 

Which way? 

He didn't have a clue. North? It would take them the 
farthest away from the city, from the Clan. 

Cody sniffed the air, nose wrinkling. You'll be human in 
the morning. You'll need your things. 

They'll be here by then. There was no time. They would 
be trapped if they stayed. 

What? You'll wander around naked tomorrow? 

Marked - 188 

If it keeps you safe. 

Cody tossed his head, snorted at him. He growled and 
started trotting off, heading north. Cody headed for the 
cabin. He snapped and snarled. The Clan would be 
looking for them there. Cody just kept moving. Asshole. 

He went after Cody, snapping at his mate's heels. Wrong 
way. 

No. Your truck is there. 

Hello. Wolf. Can't drive. Where was Cody's head? 

Cody's eyes met his. Hello. Freak. I can. 

He stopped. Yipped. Cody could be a man during the 
moon? 

Why not? Cody stared at him. You're my mate. I won't 
leave you helpless in the sun. 

I just never thought... What would it be like, to be the 
wolf while Cody was a man? 

Cody didn't answer, just kept moving. Growling, he 
followed his mate, nipping at those haunches. 

We'll get the truck, head north. Hell, we can go back to 
your place, grab supplies. 

The Clan would be all wolfed out and Cody could get 
right by them. It was ingenious, really. 

Marked - 189 

His mate. His stunning mate. He howled to Cody, 
putting his admiration into it. 

Cody's eyes danced, twinkled for him, then his mate 
started to run. 

Marked - 190 

Chapter Fourteen 

Hurt. It hurt to be human during the moon. It hurt, but it 
worked, and he had Barker, Barker's things, his bag, 
money, food, and supplies all packed in the truck. Now 
he just had to drive until the sun was up. The Clan could 
travel hard at night as wolves, but they'd be stuck during 
the day, and it wasn't like there'd be cars or weapons or 
anything waiting for them when the moon made them 
change. 

Barker kept sniffing him, backing off and huffing. Smell 
funny. 

I know. I'm sorry, Mate. He took a handful of pain pills 
and kept driving. 

Don't be sorry. You rescued my clothes. 

He chuckled. Clothes, iPod, Barker's shaving kit --
things they would need on the run. 

You still smell funny. Still, Barker moved closer, head 
resting on his thigh. He stroked Barker's head, breathing 
shallowly. You hurt, mate. 

I'm... He couldn't lie. Not mind-to-mind. 

The sun will be here soon, and I can drive. Barker 
growled a little and licked his hand. Or we can stop, 

"We'll be safe. Beautiful wolf." 

Marked - 191 

A bark answered him, Barker licking his hand again, 
moving closer so more of his body pressed against 
Cody's thigh. 

"You're so warm." 

Barker chuffed for him, gave a soft woof. He found his 
mate a smile, fingers rubbing the fuzzy ears. Breath 
leaving him in a huff, Barker moved, pushing against his 
hand. He could hear the whine of pleasure caught in his 
mate's voice. 

"Such a good wolf." He loved his mate with a fiery, 
burning passion. 

Barker's low growls were happy, pleased, and the long 
tail thumped hard against the truck's seat. 

He hummed, focusing on the road, on keeping it 
together. 

Sun's coming, mate. Maybe you should pull over. 

"So soon? Has the night gone so fast?" He was starting 
to waver. 

Barker growled softly and nudged his arm. Pull over. 

He managed to get the truck to the side of the road, 
killed the engine. Barker stood and pushed the great 
muzzle into his face. He draped his arms around Barker, 
buried his face in the soft fur. 

Love you, mate. So strong. Only wolf human during the 
moon. 

Marked - 192 

Love. Hurt. Tired. 

I know. I'm sorry. It should be me taking care of you. 
Barker licked his face. 

"Shh." He closed his eyes, trying to rest, trying to avoid 
the questions. Why would the Clan care if he could 
change? Barker kept licking, wetting his face. "I don't 
know, what if they don't want me? What if it was a lie? 
Why do they hate me?" Another jolt of pain rocked him, 
and the urge to change was huge. 

I don't know, mate. Because they're assholes? I'd rather 
figure it out from a distance, though. 

"I've ruined your life." 

The bark he got was short, sharp. 

"Don't argue with me." 

Barker bared his teeth, a low growl sounding. He 
chuckled. God, he loved that noise. 

Don't laugh at me! 

That made the laughter worse, more hysterical. Barker 
barked sharply, and then the sound morphed as Barker 
began to change, the sun peeking up over the edge of the 
horizon. 

"Mate." He watched, smiling through his pain. 

Marked - 193 

Barker growled and stretched, head going up and 
shifting, nose sliding back into his face, body 
lengthening. In a matter of moments, his mate lay next 
to him, human and utterly naked. 

"Hey. We made it." 

"Yeah. Thanks to you. You got us far. And now we've 
got the day to put more distance between us and the 
Clan." Barker rose up and kissed him hard. "Guess I'd 
better get dressed, huh?" 

He nodded, too tired to even more. "Are you sure you're 
okay?" 

"I'm fine. What about you -- you looked wiped. Go 
ahead and change, mate." 

"Yeah?" His wolf battered at him, desperate. "Kiss me?" 

Leaning in, Barker took his mouth again, tongue 
pushing between his lips. He sank into this kiss, trusting 
in Barker to ease him. Strong fingers slid along his 
spine, rubbing and touching. Better. He leaned harder. 
Better. Barker responded eagerly, the kiss going deeper. 

He backed off, panting, the wolf knocking at his door. 

"It's okay, mate. Go ahead." 

"Sorry." He tore out of his clothing. 

"It's okay. I can't imagine what it was like, holding the 
moon off like that." 

Marked - 194 

By the time he was changed, Barker was pulling on 
clothes. He curled into the seat, panting softly. Better. 
Better. Better. 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Barker petted 
him, fingers rubbing through his fur, at his skin beneath 
it. 

His eyes dropped closed. Protect my Mate. 

"Yeah, you did a good job of that. This part would have 
sucked without clothes. Not to mention, we'll get further 
with the truck." Barker started the engine up and steered 
the truck back onto the road. 

Music filled the cab, low and comforting, and he settled, 
his bones relaxing. 

"So how far did we get, mate? We're well past the cabin, 
yeah?" 

Yes. I headed due north, outside the Clan holdings. 
Toward the Northern Packs. Only the City Pack called 
itself a Clan. 

"Smart wolf. I don't know what we'll find up north, but 
it'll give us time to think. Figure things out a little." 

He panted, tail thumping. 

"See what you can really do. I mean, you can change 
when you want. Even when the moon's on you, you can 
be human, and when it isn't, you can be furry. There's 
the telepathy thing. God knows what else you've got up 
your sleeves." 

Marked - 195 

He stretched his paws out playfully. Barker laughed, 
hand rubbing his head. The scratches felt so good. So 
good. 

"You picked up the money from my stash in my 
underwear drawer, right?" 

He chuffed softly. That. Your safe from the bottom of the 
closet. Your checkbook and your laptop. 

Barker's eyes left the road for a minute to look at him. 
"You thought of everything, mate." 

Cody preened. He was a good mate. He was. 

"Hopefully we can find someplace out of the way where 
we can take time to figure some stuff out." 

He rested his muzzle on Barker's leg. They would. They 
had to. 

Barker's hand landed on his head, stroking, petting him. 
"I'm not letting them hurt you anymore, mate. They'll 
have to come through me." 

His eyes closed, so heavy. So tired. So tired. 

It must have leaked through the bond, because Barker 
petted him. "Go to sleep, mate. I've got this." 

He licked Barker's wrist, then boom. 

Heavenly, healing sleep. 

Marked - 196 

Chapter Fifteen 

Barker tried to find a place to stop for the night, but in 
the end, he drove the truck into a field off the road, 
hoping the tall grass would keep them hidden from what 
little traffic there might be. He pulled off his clothes, 
feeling the moon about to take him; he'd cut it close. 

Cody was awake and bouncing, staying close, 
encouraging him to hurry. He managed to open the 
driver's side door, and then he was bounding out, 
barking as the wolf took him. Cody sniffed him, nose 
nudging him. He turned and smelled Cody in return, 
nipping at his lover's muzzle. 

He loved the happy bounce, the yips of welcome, of 
admiration. He paraded up and down a little, showing 
off for his mate. Look at me. 

Forever. My Mate. 

Yes. Forever. Come on, mate. Let's run. 

Cody took off like a shot, paws digging into the ground, 
tail up. Chuffing, he followed, going all out to follow his 
mate. He was stronger than Cody, tall, but his mate was 
running flat out, making him work for it. There was 
nothing like this feeling, like running freely through the 
fields, the trees with his mate. He wasn't going to give 
this up. Not for anything or anyone. 

He finally had wholeness, life. Love. Love. He put his 
head back and howled it out to Cody. To his Mate. 
Cody's voice joined his, alone this time. Perfect. He 
howled once more and then gave chase. 

Marked - 197 

The air was cooler here, almost crisp. It would be a good 
place to stay, to live. If they were both wolves all the 
time. He didn't know how much there was to do when 
they were non-furry. He shook off the thoughts -- they 
sat heavily on his shoulders when he was wolfed out. 
Now was the time to run and play and hunt and be with 
his mate. 

Cody circled him, heading to nip at his heels. He spun 
around, chuffing, going for Cody's in return. His mate 
was fast, light on his feet. Barker kept up the chase, 
trying to get in there, to get the bites in first. It made him 
chuff and bark and nip. Cody leaped over his back, paws 
barely ruffling his fur. 

He barked in surprise, twisting to face Cody. Cody 
chuffed softly, tail wagging. He leapt forward to nip at 
Cody's muzzle. He almost got it, but Cody danced away 
in time. He gave chase, getting more serious now. He 
would get Cody. 

Cody's head lowered, the wolf careening to the left, 
trying to fool him. He matched the move, though, 
leaping in the same direction. Cody was unpracticed, 
and Barker took him down fairly easily, rolling him to 
nibble at the soft fur of his belly. 

He growled softly, telling his mate how good he was. 
Then he remembered the bond. So good, mate. 

Cody wagged happily. Good. 

He rubbed their muzzles together. Why can't we just do 
this forever? 

Marked - 198 

I don't know. Cody panted, eyes happy. 

He licked his mate's muzzle this time, pulling all the 
scent of Cody in. The smell was home and happiness, 
sex and pleasure and comfort. He woofed and licked one 
more time before bouncing away. It was Cody's turn to 
chase him. 

Cody ducked his head and came, claws digging into the 
dirt. Barker ran, dodging low-hanging tree branches and 
some roots, rocks on the ground, just going all out. They 
breathed together, panted together, learning how to 
move as a pack. 

He heard something to the right and turned, Cody right 
there with him, not missing a beat. It felt amazing. It felt 
right. This prey was larger than a rabbit. A small deer. 
They would need to work together, to coordinate. 

Mate. Deer. 

Cody's eyes were fastened on it, focused. 

Go right. I'll flush it that way. He didn't wait to see if 
Cody had heard him, simply circled around to head the 
deer toward his mate. 

Cody panted, nodded, crouched low. 

Now! He sprang forward, running for the deer, chasing it 
toward Cody. 

Cody bounded just at the last minute, springing up, teeth 
sinking into the deer's throat. 

Marked - 199 

He stepping forward to help when a click sounded, a 
red-hot pain searing through his back leg. His back end 
went out from under him, a surprised whimper coming 
from him. He heard Cody barking, snarling, taking the 
deer down, but he couldn't get free. 

He snarled, looking back, trying to figure out what had 
him. A snare. Clamped around his leg. Panic filled him. 
Mate! Run! Go! Cody needed to go, to get away. 

Mate? His lover's attention was on him, fully, suddenly. 

Go! Don't get trapped. What if it was the Clan? That 
didn't make sense, but he couldn't shake it. He yanked 
on the snare. A part of him knew he couldn't just pull 
out of it, but he still couldn't stop himself. 

Cody came to him, not listening, growling low, sniffing 
his leg. 

Mate! Careful! Go! He growled and twisted back, trying 
to push his mate away. Cody had to run, to get away. 

Be still. The words were snapped, rough. Then Cody 
began to try and shift. 

No, mate. Go. Be safe. Someone could be coming. If 
they saw Cody, they might shoot him. He started 
panicking again. 

I will never leave you. The pain began to grow -- his 
pain, Cody's pain. 

Mate. He whimpered, cried out. 

Marked - 200 

Cody knelt before him, naked, human. "Okay, Barker. 
I'm going to get you out, then get you to the truck and 
check your leg. Okay?" 

He whimpered, worried for his mate's safety, hurting. 

"Shh. Here. I'll open it." The human hands worked the 
snare open, then his mate lifted him like he weighed 
nothing. 

You hurt, mate. Don't hurt. Change back. 

"Hush. I have to look at your leg." 

Hurts. Maybe even more now that he was out of the 
trap. 

"I bet. We'll wrap it up, look at it. I don't think it's 
broken." 

He licked Cody's face. He had a good mate. 

Cody had to stop, twice, and ease him down, catch his 
breath. "I'm sorry, mate." 

I can make it the rest of the way. He could ignore the 
pain for Cody. 

"I've got you." The care his lover took of him made his 
heart soar. 

He stopped arguing and let Cody do what he was going 
to do. He tried to ignore the throbbing in his leg. 

Marked - 201 

He was placed carefully in the bed of the truck, Cody's 
hands so gentle. "It didn't get the bone. I need to clean 
it." 

Hurts, mate. He whimpered softly, the pain filling his 
head. 

"I know. I'm sorry." Cody found a bottle of water, the 
cool splash almost helping. 

His back end twitched and he rested his head on his 
front paws with a sigh. Cody kept murmuring to him, 
spreading a cream, tearing a shirt to make a bandage. 

So good to me. Cody had to be hurting, stuck as a man 
again during the moon. 

"Hush. Your poor leg." His fur was smoothed. "Thank 
the Moon I was here." 

He barked his agreement. Who knew what would have 
happened if he'd been out here on his own? It was just 
one more advantage of having his own land. Would they 
ever be able to go back to his grandfather's cabin? 

"Damn trappers." Cody leaned against him. "I need to 
feed you." 

He didn't want to make Cody have to work, but he 
hadn't really had much to eat while human -- they'd 
focused more on the distance driven than physical 
comfort. 

Cody rested their heads together. "You stay here, quiet. 
I'll be back." 

Marked - 202 

Careful, mate. There's traps. Who knows what else? 

"I will, but you need food." 

He wagged his tail for his mate. 

"Stay put." Cody shifted back, yelping at him, then his 
mate ran back into the grass. 

Careful, Mate! 

Shh. Hunting. 

He chuffed and thumped his tail once more before 
settling his muzzle back on his paws. He tried not to 
worry, but he couldn't help it. If Cody tripped another 
snare, his mate would be trapped until sunrise. Trapped, 
hurting, bleeding. Cody's mind brushed over him. 

Safe? He needed Cody to be okay, far more than he 
needed to eat. Come back. 

You need food. I'm being careful. 

He growled. Such a stubborn mate. 

The sun was barely lightening the sky when Cody 
returned, a haunch of the deer dangling from his jaws. 
Barker could feel the change coming, and he snapped up 
the meat, knowing he couldn't eat it once he'd changed. 

Good. Good, mate. Cody rested beside him. 

Marked - 203 

He'd barely finished the meal when the sun crested the 
horizon and Barker felt himself change. The leg hurt 
about five hundred times more as a human, and he 
clenched his teeth hard, holding back a cry. 

He looked down at it, where Cody was licking it, 
cleaning it. Fuck, he was torn up. It could be worse -- a 
lot worse. His leg was whole, the bone was whole, but... 
He let Cody wash it, knowing it was the best thing for it 
-- it would heal quicker. "Shit, that's not going to make 
driving easy." He even maybe was going to have to let 
Cody take care of it. 

I'll drive. You'll rest. 

"Yeah, I think it's going to have to work that way." He 
hadn't even tried walking on it, but it hurt like a son of a 
bitch, and he was sure any sort of pressure on it was 
only going to add to that. "You wanna change and help 
me get into the cab?" 

He felt Cody's soft sigh, then watched as Cody changed, 
slowly losing his fur. 

"It doesn't hurt when the moon's not up, does it?" 

It took Cody a minute to answer. "No, Mate. Let me 
help you." 

"That wasn't very convincing." 

Cody winked. "Up, oh growly one. I need to get us to a 
town, a pharmacy." 

Marked - 204 

"Yeah. just don't hurt yourself." He sat up and swung his 
legs over the side of the truck bed. Oh, he was not 
looking forward to standing. 

Cody walked up between his legs and lifted him, 
grunting under his weight. 

"Cody! Put me down, you fool." 

"Your fool." Cody panted. "Open the fucking door." 

He got the door open and grabbed onto the sides of the 
truck, helping get himself into the passenger seat. He 
nearly passed out when his leg hit the side of the truck, 
the pain shooting through him. 

"Easy! Easy. Fuck." Cody growled, eased him in. "Do 
you have any painkillers?" 

"I don't know -- you're the one who packed the truck 
up." He could sure use something, though. Painkillers, 
getting knocked out, a shot of something strong -- he 
wasn't feeling particularly picky. 

"I grabbed that bag in the bathroom." Cody started 
rummaging, eyebrows furrowed. 

He nodded, leaning his head back against the seat. 
"Yeah, yeah, I think there's something in that..." 

"Bingo. Here's a Vicodin and an energy bar. Oh, dude. 
Penicillin. You get all three, lucky bastard." 

"I'm not feeling very lucky just now." 

Marked - 205 

"Why not? The leg's not broken; the muscle looks 
bruised but whole." 

"Hurts like a mother. I tell you what, I'll feel lucky when 
it's better, okay?" 

"Okay." A lukewarm bottle of water was handed over, 
and a pair of shorts. 

He took the water and drank half the bottle down before 
grabbing the Vicodin and penicillin, swallowing them 
dry and following them with the rest of the water. The 
shorts he just looked at. He wasn't sure he wanted to 
fuck around with pulling them up over his bad leg. He 
settled them in his lap so they covered him up and gave 
Cody what he hoped was a winning smile. 

Cody didn't argue, just nodded. "That works, man. Let 
me get us to a town." 

"Okay." The engine came on and the truck lurched 
forward. Barker closed his eyes, breathed deep through 
his nose. He was going to find the asshole who'd set the 
snare and put him in it. 

Possibly put him in two of them. Fucking hunters. 
Cheating. He knew he was growling, but he couldn't 
seem to stop and he was too pissed off about the snare to 
care. 

"Barker?" Cody looked at him, worried. 

"What?" he snapped, pain and anger making him short. 

Marked - 206 

A flash of emotion bled through their connection, then it 
went silent. "Do you need me to stop?" 

"No. Sorry." He growled. "I just need fucking hunters to 
get caught in their own goddamned traps." 

"I hear that. We'll get you a hotel somewhere, let you 
sleep." 

He shook his head. "We need to keep moving, mate." 

"They won't chase us." Cody sounded as unsure as he 
felt. 

He shook his head; he knew better. If they'd lied to him 
about being safe at his grandfather's, then he would bet 
they'd chase Cody even farther. "We can't chance it. I 
can sleep here." In fact, the pain was beginning to ease 
off a little as the Vicodin kicked in. 

"It'll be okay. I'll protect you." 

He could feel his head roll on his shoulders. "No. I can't 
protect you. Keep driving." 

"I am driving. You're a turd." 

"Fine. I'm a turd. Don't stop for this turd. Just drive until 
you can't anymore." 

Cody's fingers twined with his. "Rest, Mate. Please." 

"As long as you keep driving, I will." 

"Okay. Okay. I'm driving." 

Marked - 207 

"Just keep on doing it." He closed his eyes and sighed. 

Cody's chuckle was wry and quiet, easing his nerves a 
little. 

He squeezed the hand holding his and let the sound of 
the engine lull him into a doze. 

*** 

Cody drove until he found a town big enough for 
anonymity, then he searched for a pharmacy. He needed 
to clean Barker's leg, get food, find somewhere for 
Barker to rest, find work for a day or two for cash. 

Barker blinked awake when the truck stopped at a stop 
sign. He growled softly. "Why are we stopping?" 

"I need food. Caffeine. You need antiseptic." Butthead. 

"We have to keep moving. I can't protect you." 

"I don't need protection. I'm fine." 

"I'm your mate. It's my job." 

"Uh-huh." Barker was being crazy. 

"We move on as soon as we've got those things." 

"Stop it. You need to bathe. I need to sleep. We're 
getting a fucking hotel." He'd take on the fucking Clan if 
they came. 

Marked - 208 

Barker shook his head, started growling. "No. We keep 
moving. I'll fucking drive if I have to." 

He growled right back. "Listen to me." 

"When you start making sense, I will." 

This was not working for him. "We're getting a hotel 
room." 

"Why are you being so fucking stubborn? The Clan is 
coming for you, get it?" 

"We've driven eight hundred miles. The Clan doesn't 
leave the city." He stared at Barker, then pulled over. 
"They drove me out, I'm leaving. Shit, you asshole. If 
they're coming for anyone, it's you." 

Barker shook his head. "No. You don't understand." 
Barker sighed and rubbed his face. "They came to me 
before we left for my granddad's place." 

"Came to you? Who did?" What had Barker been 
keeping from him? 

Barker grimaced. "An old friend. Or so I thought. He 
came to warn me. To get you out of town." 

"Why? Why do they want me?" Hell, he'd been skulking 
in the city off and on for years. Someone would have 
seen him; they would have had to. 

"Word got out that you can change now, Cody. From 
when you got mugged. Had to be. They want to know 
why and they won't stop at killing you if that's what it 

Marked - 209 

takes to figure out why. You staying alive is not on their 
agenda." 

Cody shook his head. Monsters. They didn't deserve to 
be animals. 

"I won't let them hurt you, Cody." Barker looked at him, 
eyes full of pain, and also fire. "They will have to kill 
me first." 

"No one's going to hurt me, Mate, but we have to get 
you somewhere to rest." Hell, he needed rest. 

"They want to. Assholes. Afraid of anyone different 
from them. God. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, mate. I should 
have stood up to them." 

He shrugged. "And I should have died, committed 
suicide, but I didn't." 

"I'm not going to let you do that, either." 

"No, you're going to let me find a hotel and get a room 
for a day or two." 

"Now you want to stop for a day or two?" Barker 
growled. "Damn it, Cody, I'm worried about you." 

"And I'm not worried? You're hurt! I'm hungry and tired 
and it's not supposed to be like this!" The wolf hit him, 
hard, square, and he fought the change. 

"Mate! Fight it!" Barker growled. "Okay. We can stop. 
No changing until we're in a hotel, though. Hold on." 

Marked - 210 

He nodded, panting, head bobbing as he did. 

Barker's hand wrapped around his thigh. "Sorry." 

"Not your fault." It was so much easier to be fuzzy. 

"Just get us somewhere private, huh?" 

"I'm trying." He found Barker a grin, a wink. 

Barker's smile looked a little forced. 

"We're going to be fine. You need a shower, a bed." 

"I need the fucking Clan to back the hell off. They didn't 
want you back then, they can't have you now." 

"I can agree to that." 

"Hey, we agreed on something today." Barker winked 
and then winced as they went over a bump, the truck 
jostling. 

"Don't get used to it." Despite the words, he winced, too, 
hating that he was hurting his mate. 

Barker's laugh was strained. "We're stopping soon, 
huh?" 

"I promise. There's a motel up there. Not a chain. One 
story." 

"Thank fuck, I think I'd rather die than face stairs." 

"Well, then. No stairs." He wasn't sure what else to say. 

Marked - 211 

Barker just grunted. He was looking a little white along 
the edges. Thank God they were coming up on the 
motel. 

"Stay. I'll be back." He parked, jogged up to the office, 
and tapped on the window. It didn't take a second to get 
them a room, a key. 

Barker was where he'd left him, eyes closed, head back 
against his seat. 

"We have a room in the back." Cody started the truck 
up, moved them around. 

"Good. Shit, get me a towel or something to throw 
around my waist. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting these 
shorts on." 

"I'll carry you in, but I have to get the door open first." 

"You are not going to carry me in." Barker was growling 
again. 

"Quit growling at me." He bared his teeth, puffed up a 
little. 

"Then get out of my fucking way so I can get in and lie 
down." 

"Fine." He tore the door open, carrying in supplies and 
ignoring Barker completely. Once the man was in and 
settled, he'd go look for food, for a place that needed a 
dishwasher for the night or something for a little under-
the-table cash. 

Marked - 212 

By the time he came around from the bed of the truck, 
Barker was a few steps from the truck, pale as a fucking 
ghost, looking like he was about to pass out. He arched 
an eyebrow, then grabbed the man and carried him into 
the room. 

"Hurts, mate." The sounds coming from Barker's throat 
were more like whimpers than growls at the moment. 
And he was hot, hotter than usual. 

"I'll get you in the tub and get you another antibiotic." 
He didn't panic. He wouldn't. If Barker got too bad, the 
man would succumb to the wolf, even without the 
moon, and start healing faster. 

"Sorry," muttered Barker, letting Cody manhandle him. 

"Shh." The tub was small but clean, and he got the 
lukewarm water going. 

Barker sat on the edge of the tub and put his hand in. 
"Feels cold." 

"It'll help your fever. You want a little more hot?" 

"Whatever you want, mate." 

"I think you need to cool off, then we'll make it more 
comfortable." 

"Sure." Barker slipped into the tub at his urging, gasping 
as his body slid into the water. 

Marked - 213 

He looked at Barker's leg. It was ugly, but not as bad as 
it could be. 

"I gonna live?" Barker asked, already looking slightly 
better for being in the cool water. 

"You are. You're going to be sore, but it's not bad 
enough to make you change, huh?" He poured the water 
over Barker's chest. 

Barker shook his head. "No. I would have already." He 
got a weak grin. "Just bad enough to make me 
miserable." 

"I'll find food, money. I'll take care of you." 

"I should be taking care of you." 

"You can tomorrow." Silly mate. 

"'Kay." Barker closed his eyes and leaned his head 
against the lip of the tub. 

He let Barker soak while he found more meds, a drink of 
water, some clothes. 

"I'm getting cold." God, Barker could whine when he 
was hurt. 

Cody turned the hot water on, let some of the cold water 
out. 

"Good to me." 

"Love you." 

Marked - 214 

Cody dressed in his work jeans, a flannel shirt. "I'm 
going to find food, see if I can't find a place that'll give 
me a few hours' work." 

Barker frowned. "You're leaving?" 

"Don't we need some cash?" He lived hand to mouth, at 
best. 

"You said you brought the safe as well as my stash from 
the underwear drawer, right? We've got money, mate." 

"Yeah? I can find work for you." His shoulders relaxed, 
though, the tension easing. 

"Let's wait until we start running low. Besides, I don't 
want you to go." 

"Okay." He went to switch the water out again, suddenly 
exhausted. 

Barker shook his head. "No, I just want out. I want to lie 
down and go to sleep and not be moving for a bit." 

"Okay. Let me help you up." He got Barker upright, got 
them both moving to the bed. 

Barker leaned on him, head on his shoulder. "I'll be back 
to normal tomorrow," growled Barker. 

He licked Barker's jaw, his chin, the wolf trying to come 
again. 

Marked - 215 

Barker pushed their lips together, the kiss lazy, more a 
press of skin. "My mate." 

"Yes. I'll guard you." He swore it. No one would attack 
his mate. 

"Trust you." One of Barker's eyes opened. "Only you." 

"Good." He kissed the closed eyelid. 

Barker kissed his fingers. "Yes, Boss." 

He waited until Barker was sound asleep before he 
changed, let himself relax, watch. 

Stand guard. 

Marked - 216 

Chapter Sixteen 

Barker's sleep was troubled by dreams, nightmares. The 
Clan chasing them, the Elders tearing Cody open to see 
how he worked. He ran and he fought, his leg dragging 
behind him, hindering him. He woke up, barking, the 
sound strange in his human throat. 

Cody was on all four legs, snarling, bouncing from 
window to door, checking for threats. He looked around 
wild-eyed, going into a crouch and ignoring the pain. 

Mate! What is it? His heart was pounding, pounding. 

Are you okay? You were screaming! Did they come? 
Cody's exhaustion poured from his mate, his lover 
clearly tired to the point of near insanity. 

Dreaming. I was dreaming. He thought. He was pretty 
sure. 

Cody blinked for him, then the soft nose brushed his leg, 
tongue cleaning it. Again. 

He let his hands drop to Cody's head, fingers digging 
through the fur. "Mate." God, his voice was rough, 
rusty. 

Cody cleaned him, then eased him back onto the bed, 
sniffing him, scenting him. 

"I'm good." Better, anyway. His fever was gone and the 
pain was... well, he needed some fucking painkillers, but 
he was gonna live. 

Marked - 217 

Cody whimpered for him, nuzzled him. 

"I don't suppose this place does room service?" He 
needed food. Of course, the town was big enough there 
might be a pizza joint. 

Cody chuffed softly, laughing at him. 

"Aren't you hungry?" Cody had to be as hungry as he 
was, maybe even more so. 

Hungry. 

"You're going to have to change, mate. Wolves don't eat 
pizza." 

Cody chuffed again, headed to him, muzzle on the bed. 

"Come on. Let me feel skin instead of fur." 

Cody's face started to change, to stretch. 

"Mmm. Come on, Mate. Skin on skin. So good." His 
lover tried so hard for him. 

Slowly, painfully, Cody changed for him, eyes staring at 
him over huge dark circles. He knew how tired Cody 
was, how much his mate wanted to just lie down and 
sleep, but instead, Cody had changed for him. For him. 
He leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. 

"Mate." Cody kissed him. 

"Mmm..." He let his pleasure at being with his mate purr 
from him. 

Marked - 218 

When their lips parted, he tugged Cody up onto the bed 
beside him. "Pepperoni, bacon, and hamburger?" 

"Mmmhmm." Cody pressed close. "You feel better." 

"I guess. I just know the fucking ache in my leg has 
turned into a huge hole in my gut." 

"There are some protein bars to tide you over 'til the 
pizza shows." Assuming they ordered it. 

"Oh, yum." He gave Cody a grin and nodded at the little 
table holding the lamp and phone. "There should be a 
local phone book in there." 

Cody rolled over, letting him see the long, lean back. He 
reached out, unable to resist, fingers sliding along 
Cody's spine. Cody's muscles jerked and trembled, 
responding to him. 

He kept touching as Cody opened the drawer and 
grabbed out the phone book. "You call -- I sound like 
something died in my throat." 

"Hey, I killed the squirrel before you ate it." 

That had him laughing, and it felt good to do it, to 
release some of the tension the dreams had left in him. 

Cody called, ordered them two large pizzas and a two-
liter of Coke, both of them periodically cracking up. 

Marked - 219 

He lay back on the bed with a sigh, feeling more tired 
than he liked to admit. "How long did you pay for?" 
They needed another day of sleep, both of them. 

"Three days. I thought you needed sleep." 

"Good. I don't think we should stay that long, but we can 
sleep until tonight." He was past the change; he could 
drive. 

"We'll see. I can't drive yet, man, I'm seeing things." 

"I'll be well enough by this evening to take it on." Hurt 
or not, they had to keep going. He knew what the Clan 
would do if they ever caught up with Cody. He wasn't 
going to let that happen. 

"Maybe." Stubborn mate. 

Barker snorted. "Go get some clothes on, mate. You 
don't want to answer the door naked, trust me. We're 
trying to fly below the radar, not make some poor pizza 
boy call the local cops." 

"Yeah, yeah." Cody looked exhausted, droopy, but the 
man dressed quickly. 

"Sorry, mate." He hated having to lean on Cody as hard 
as he was -- he was supposed to be taking care of his 
mate, looking out for Cody, not getting injured and 
making Cody do all the taking care of. 

"Shh. You'll eat and rest." 

Marked - 220 

"And so will you -- you look like you went ten rounds 
with Sugar Fists McLean." 

Cody nodded, dismissing him. He stuck his tongue out 
at his mate. Cody chuffed softly, rolled his eyes. 
Grinning, he opened his arms, wanting his mate close. 

"I have to wait for the pizza." Still, Cody pushed into his 
arms, careful of his leg. 

"You don't have to wait for it by the door." He nuzzled 
his mate, rubbed their cheeks together. 

"You smell good." Cody moaned for him, eyelids heavy 
for a second before they popped open. 

"Yeah? Not like sickness?" 

"No. No infection." 

"Good." He nibbled at Cody's lips, at his cheeks. 

"Mmm." He could feel his mate leaning close, then 
jerking awake. 

He needed Cody to stay awake until he'd eaten. Waking 
up hungry was a lousy way to start the day. He kept 
touching lightly, nipping sharply now and then, keeping 
his mate from falling asleep. 

"Not sleeping. Watching." Cody panted softly, eyes 
glowing. 

"So strong, mate." He let his pride and admiration show. 

Marked - 221 

"Love you. Will protect you." 

"My job." He growled a little. 

"Not right now." 

No, but soon. His mate was exhausted. He stroked his 
fingers through Cody's hair, thumb rubbing along the 
side of one eye. They both jumped when the knock at 
the door sounded. 

"Pizza." 

Cody got some money, went to the door. 

Barker tensed, stood before Cody got the door open. 
"Check before taking off the chain," he growled. 

"I know." Cody growled back, eyes flashing. 

He didn't care if the reminder had pissed Cody off, it 
was too important. "Just fucking check." 

The knock came again. Cody nodded, checked the door, 
shoulders taut. Barker stayed tense, ready to leap to 
Cody's defense until his mate relaxed marginally. It was 
the pizza boy. The smell made him growl and rumble, 
made him toss his head. So good. 

Cody traded cash for pizza boxes and drinks, and got the 
door locked again, the chain up on it. 

"Come on, come on. I'm hungry enough to eat the damn 
box." 

Marked - 222 

Cody tossed the pizzas to him, double checked the locks 
on the doors, and sucked down a quarter of the Coke 
straight from the bottle. 

"Don't drink so much of that it keeps you awake. Unless 
you want to go ahead and get us moving after we've 
eaten." He tore open the first box and grabbed two 
slices. 

Cody flipped him off, nostrils flaring. He was too busy 
shoving pizza into his mouth, taking a bite from one 
slice and the other, to reply in any manner at all. Cody 
grabbed the other box, eating quickly, quietly. 

He wolfed the first three slices down like he hadn't eaten 
in days, and then finally slowed down long enough to 
take a few long gulps of the Coke and wipe his mouth 
with the back of his hand. "Good pizza." 

Cody grunted, eyes glowing gold at him. 

"Finish the pizza before you shift, mate. Pizza and wolf 
stomachs are not the best match -- trust me on this one." 

Cody's answer was a nod. 

He'd eaten nearly the entire pizza before he was full, his 
stomach feeling like it was bulging. He drank some 
more Coke and then collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. 

"You think there's anywhere we'll be safe?" They were 
headed north, but exactly where, he didn't know. Mostly, 
he didn't know who to trust. 

Marked - 223 

The Clan and whoever answered to them were a distinct 
and definite threat. Cody's sister and whoever else was 
in the mountains with them... He didn't know if he could 
trust them, either. He'd bet they wouldn't want much to 
do with him -- he was normal, he was Clan. He was 
pretty sure they wouldn't hurt Cody. The Northern 
Packs... he didn't know how suspicious they'd be of 
Clan, even Cast Out Clan. 

"They can't keep coming." 

Barker nodded slowly. He wasn't so sure about that. "I 
don't think they know about the bond." He wasn't sure if 
Cody being able to change whenever he wanted would 
set a high enough price on his head that they'd never be 
able to stop running, but the bond thing -- he was pretty 
sure if they found out about that, he and Cody would 
never be free. 

What Cody could do was something special. What they 
could do together was... sensational. 

"Good. The less they know, the better. Wolves are 
territorial. They shouldn't follow us." 

"Unless they decide we're part of their territory." He 
shook his head, though. "No, I think you're right. I think 
if we stay away, far away, we'll be okay." He still wasn't 
sure where they were going to go, though. He'd never 
lived anywhere else, his grandfather's land the farthest 
he'd ever been from home. 

"Okay. You should rest." Cody's distress was leaking 
through the bond, making him tremble. 

Marked - 224 

It immediately put him on the alert. "Sure. After you tell 
me what's wrong." 

"Wrong? Nothing." Liar. 

"You can feed that shit to someone else. I'm your mate, 
Cody. Not to mention I can feel it your worry in my 
head. What. Is. Wrong?" 

"Nothing!" Cody snarled softly, teeth bared. 

He pushed the pizza boxes out of the way and latched 
onto Cody, dragging his mate to him. "Don't feed me 
that bullshit." 

Cody snapped at him, teeth clicking. 

"What is wrong with you?" he growled. 

"Nothing." Cody was trembling, eyes rolling. His mate. 

Mate! He cried out through their bond, pretty sure Cody 
wouldn't be able to hide from him when they 
communicated like this. 

Tiredtiredtiredtiredsleepsleepsleep. Seeing things. His 
mate was hallucinating. Damn it. Why hadn't Cody just 
told him? Stubborn asshole. 

Growling, he pushed Cody so his mate was lying down. 
"Get some sleep, mate." 

"Protecting you." Cody fought him, crying out. 

Marked - 225 

He stretched ignoring the pain in his leg, and lay mostly 
on top of his mate. "You're done for today. It's my turn. 
Go to sleep before you do something crazy." 

"Protecting. Keeping watch. My mate." Cody wasn't 
even seeing him. 

Sleep. It's safe now. I'll watch. He growled softly. 
Change and sleep, mate. 

"I'm watching..." Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. 

"I'm watching. You sleep." Stubborn mate. 

"No." 

"Don't you make me knock you out." He growled and 
glared down at Cody. 

Cody growled back, almost wolfy again. 

"Go on, change. Sleep. I need you with it when we start 
moving again." 

Cody's head rolled, poor eyes staring at him. He kissed 
his mate, tongue pushing in, demanding Cody's 
surrender. The kiss was toothy, sloppy, and Cody fought 
him, but only for a moment. He found Cody's cock with 
one hand, jacking it, determined to do what it took to 
send his mate to sleep. 

Mate? Cody sounded surprised. 

Yes. Mate. Making you come. Making Cody sleep. 

Marked - 226 

Have to watch... He could feel Cody's need like an ache. 

No. Your mate will watch. He tugged harder, thumb 
rubbing across the head of Cody's cock. 

Mate. Mate. Cody's need hit him. 

He groaned as his own cock firmed, responding to 
Cody's need. Cody hummed, growled, head tossing. He 
went back to kissing, to jacking, pushing at Cody to 
come. He could hear Cody, hear the desperate, shattered 
little thoughts. 

He bit at Cody's bottom lip, tugging on it. Gimme. 

Mate. Love. Need. Yes! 

Heat sprayed over his hands. He growled happily into 
the kiss and then slid down Cody's body, licking the 
come from his mate's belly. Cody moaned, boneless, 
quiet. 

He kissed Cody's face. Sleep, mate. 

Love. Safe. 

"Yes, mate. Safe. Sleep." 

Those eyes held his for a second, and then he was 
holding a wolf. A deeply asleep, limp wolf. 

Sighing in relief, Barker laid his own head down on the 
pillow and held on as he drifted off, one ear still tuned to 
the noises around them. 

Marked - 227 

*** 

Chasing him. They were chasing him. 

"Brother." He looked over at the woman, his sister. 

"What? Can't you leave me alone?" 

"I'm trying to help you, you ingrate!" 

"Ingrate? Where the hell have you been?" 

She snapped at him. "Banished. Just like you!" 

Mate? Wake up, mate, you're dreaming. 

His sister gasped. "Who is that?" 

"My mate. You can hear him?" 

"I'm in your head, in your dream, Brother, of course I 
can hear him!" Her eyes narrowed. "How come you 
can?" 

"What?" He scrambled away, back. Fuck. Wake up. 
Wake up. 

"Cody. Come on. Wake up." Barker shook, him. 

His eyes popped open. "She knows." 

"Cody? Who knows what?" Barker stared down at him, 
growling, bristling. 

"My sister. She heard you in my dream." 

Marked - 228 

"In your dream." Barker blinked and then relaxed down 
beside him. "You were dreaming, mate. Having a 
nightmare, really." 

He nodded, heart racing. "She knows about us. Our 
bond." 

"But it was just a nightmare, mate." 

"I..." He shook his head. No. No, it was her. 

"You think it was real?" 

"I... I don't know. It was weird." He was so tired of 
nothing being normal. 

Barker growled. "I hate not knowing what the hell is 
going on. Is there anyone we can trust? Anyone we can 
talk to?" 

"I don't know. You're the only one I trust. You're the one 
with friends, Barker. Family." 

"Family who advised me to stay away while you were 
being run off, who advised me to forget you. And yes, 
friends -- who came to warn me the Clan was going to 
grab you and tear you to pieces trying to figure out how 
you work. I wish my grandfather was still alive." 

"I do, too." He wished things weren't... broken. Maybe 
he was cursed. 

Barker pulled him close. "We'll get through it." 

Marked - 229 

"You think so? I didn't mean to bring this on you." 

"You've had it hard way longer than I have, mate. This 
isn't your fault." 

"How can it not be?" How could it not be? 

Barker shrugged, frowned. "Because... because I came 
after you." 

"What?" That didn't make sense. 

"I followed you, made you come up to the cabin with 
me. So it's not your fault, 'cause I did it." 

"You don't regret it?" 

"Are you kidding? I got to see you change. I have a mate 
who's with me now. A beautiful wolf who can be a wolf 
any time! Shit, babe, you're something special." Barker 
gave him a hard kiss. "Besides, my life was fucking 
boring." 

Warmth filled him up, pushing the sick, sad loss aside. 

Pushing him onto the bed, Barker kept kissing him. My 
mate. Mine. Love you. Won't give you up. Won't. 

Your leg? The kisses made him dizzy, made him hard. 

Better enough to ignore. 

Need. He needed. 

Marked - 230 

I know. Me, too. Barker kept kissing, one hand sliding 
on his skin. 

His cock filled, his body tight, needing. 

"I can feel your need through the bond." Barker met his 
eyes, and it felt like his mate was looking into him. 

"Do you like it?" 

"Mmmhmm." Barker kissed him again, tongue twisting 
with his. He could feel Barker's need through the bond 
as well, hungry and all for him. 

He needed this, needed to feel wanted, mated, whole. 

Barker rolled them so he was on top, legs on either side 
of Barker's thighs. "Ride me, mate." 

"God, yes." He sucked his fingers into his mouth, wet 
them, then wet his hole. 

Barker groaned, then growled, hands wrapping around 
his hip. He pressed two fingers inside, the stretch sweet, 
deep. Deep, but not enough. 

"Want you," Barker told him, the need filling their bond 
as well. 

"Take me." He was Barker's. 

Barker shifted him, pressed the tip of the hard cock 
against him. He let his fingers slip free, let Barker press 
in. 

Marked - 231 

"Oh, fuck, you're tight." Barker pressed up, hips pushing 
the thick prick into him. 

He threw his head back, throat working. "More. Please." 

"Uh-huh. More. Lots and lots more." 

He fought the urge to howl as Barker buried himself up 
to the root. Then Barker pulled out and thrust back in, 
hands pulling his hips up and bringing them back down. 

"Mate. Again." He drove himself up, slammed himself 
down. 

Barker met his thrust, adding his power to it. 

"Yes!" His toes curled, their skin slapping together. 

"Mate! Mate!" Barker's voice rang out. 

He nodded, grunting. Yes. Mate. Please. 

Barker's hand slid around his cock, his own movements 
driving it along his lover's palm. Pleasure so sharp it was 
almost pain shot up his spine. 

I feel you, mate! 

He couldn't answer. He simply felt and moved and rode. 

They moved together for a long time, the pleasure 
building, twisting. Barker's gaze burned into him, the 
need there echoed by their bond. For the first time in 
days, Cody felt whole. Barker's skin became limned 

Marked - 232 

with sweat, his, too, the sound of their bodies coming 
together loud. 

"Need." More than breathing. 

"Take," muttered Barker as love and need and Barker's 
strength pushed toward him. 

"Yes." He slammed back, his ass hitting Barker's thighs. 

"Fuck!" Barker cried out, the hand on his cock going so 
tight Cody thought the skin might split. 

Spunk shot out of him, his ass squeezing Barker's prick. 
Barker's climax followed his almost immediately, heat 
spraying deep inside him. His howl rang out, filling the 
air, rejoicing. Barker's met it, the sounds not quite right 
from their human throats, but heartfelt, real. 

He leaned down, cheek on Barker's shoulder, panting 
hard. Barker's hands slid around to hold onto him, his 
lover matching him breath for breath. 

"I don't know what we're supposed to do, mate." 

"I say we run until we feel like we've put enough miles 
between us and the Clan. Then we can think without it 
hanging over us." Barker's voice rumbled up along 
where their chests were pressed together, almost like a 
purr soothing through him. 

"Okay." He nodded, relaxed down against his mate, 
hummed softly. 

Marked - 233 

Barker kissed the top of his head. "It is okay, mate. No 
one will hurt you, I swear." 

Just then, the door of the motel room burst open, the 
sting of a dart in his neck sending him winding into a 
sudden, undeniable blackness. 

Marked - 234 

Chapter Seventeen 

The sound of the door slamming open startled Barker, 
making him jerk as Cody became a dead weight on top 
of him. 

Howling, snarling, he shoved Cody off him, putting 
himself between his mate and the door. Ignoring the 
pain in his leg, he went to his haunches, snarling as he 
faced the threat. 

He saw faces he'd grown up with, friends become 
enemies. "Let him go, Barker. He's not one of us." 

"He's mine." He reached behind him, pushing Cody until 
his mate's body fell onto the floor with a thump, the 
entire bed between Cody and these assholes. 

Mate! He called out through the bond. He needed Cody 
to wake up. 

Barker... The thought was distant, fuzzy. 

"He's an abomination. Unnatural. He'll expose us." 

He stayed crouched where he was. "Expose us?" He 
snorted. His mate was special, better than the rest of 
them. Wake up, mate. 

"Yes. He's abnormal. We cannot accept him." Harry 
looked at him, the Elder's eyes actually sad. "Please, 
friend. Move." 

Trying. 

Marked - 235 

Now, mate. I need you to run. 

"We aren't hurting you. Leave us be." They knew what 
being mates meant; they should have known better than 
to even ask. 

"We're going to take him. If you walk away now..." 

"You can't have him. He's mine." He snarled. "My mate. 
Leave us before I tear you to pieces." 

The rifle lifted, pointed at him. "Don't make us kill you." 

He barred his teeth, growled softly. Mate. I could really 
use a distraction about now. 

You got it. 

Cody growled, leaping from behind the bed, caught 
between human and wolf. Shit. They were going to be 
lucky if they weren't both shot. Growling himself, he 
launched himself at Harry, going for the arm holding the 
rifle. 

"Brother!" 

"Get back, you silly bitch!" 

Three more people pushed into the room, and Barker 
didn't know how they were all fitting. 

The rifle went off -- pointing at the ceiling, thank fuck --
and Barker wrestled Harry for it, wanting the gun out of 
the asshole's hands before Cody was hurt. 

Marked - 236 

He heard Cody's snarl, heard barking and the sounds of 
flesh hitting flesh behind him. He finally got the rifle out 
of Harry's hands and knocked the butt of it across the 
man's head, hard. 

Then he stood and shot the fucking rifle at the ceiling, 
on purpose this time, before aiming it at the crowd in 
general. He had no idea who some of these people were, 
and he wasn't taking any chances. "Everyone fucking 
freeze." 

Cody -- who was fully fuzzy, along with a painfully 
pregnant wolf and a huge gray male -- trotted over to 
him. 

Harry was passed out on the floor, another Clan member 
whimpering and curling over a badly mauled arm, while 
the third man had indeed frozen where he stood. Dirk 
was his name, if Barker remembered rightly, and he was 
mostly kept around for his muscles. 

Mate. Who are these wolves? Hadn't there been more 
people just a few moments ago? 

Sirens sounded in the distance. Shit. He'd bet the 
manager had called the cops after the gun shots. 

My sister. Let's go. 

Both other wolves barked, and a large, gnarled man who 
looked oddly familiar peered through the door. "We 
have to move. Now. Mate. Now." 

The pregnant wolf's head bobbed. 

Marked - 237 

Barker didn't know if he was ready to entirely trust 
Cody's sister, but she had come to their rescue and he 
suspected she was their best bet. They certainly couldn't 
stay here; the sirens were getting closer every second. 

"My truck's just outside." He grabbed the duffel bag 
Cody'd brought in. 

"We're in the Jeep. Follow us." The man looked at the 
Clan, growled. "You three stay." 

Barker waved the rifle at them. "You try and follow us, 
and I'll stop you with your own fucking piece." 

Cody panted, nipping at his heels. Go. Go. 

"I'm going." He growled a little and got to the truck, 
tossing the duffel bag into the bed and opening the 
passenger door for Cody. Cody leaped up, and he could 
see the big man lifting the pregnant wolf into the Jeep. 
He ran around to the other side of the truck and started 
the engine, pulling out and heading for the exit, glancing 
back to make sure the Jeep made it out, too. He'd let 
them pass him once they were away from the motel and 
the cops who were descending upon it. 

Can you drive? Your leg? 

"I'm fine." In fact, until Cody had mentioned it, he 
hadn't even felt his leg. Now, of course, it was starting to 
throb like crazy. He had a hunch they were going to 
have to swap out when the adrenaline wore off. 

You were so brave. There was a wealth of pride in that 
thought. 

Marked - 238 

"I was just protecting my mate." It made him smile, 
though. He pulled to the side of the road a few blocks 
from the hotel, letting the black Jeep pass him. "How did 
she know where we were? How did the Clan know?" 

I don't know. 

"More unknowns." He growled. "We don't even know 
where we're going." And his leg was really starting to 
throb. A wave of regret flooded him, coming from his 
mate. He glanced at Cody. "I'm not sorry, mate. I'm 
pissed off -- fucking angry as all hell at the Clan, but I 
don't regret having my mate with me for a second." 

Cody didn't answer, muzzle on the seat of the truck. 

He followed the Jeep out of town and toward the 
mountains in the distance, the throbbing in his leg 
getting worse by the second. He clenched his teeth 
together, hands gripping the steering wheel until his 
knuckles were white. 

Let me drive. 

He wasn't even sure that Cody could change back yet. 
"Four paws, remember?" 

Right. Cody chuffed, head bobbing gently. Let me try to 
change. 

"It's okay if you can't, mate. I'm good for awhile longer." 

What did they put in me? 

Marked - 239 

"It knocked you out for a bit, right?" 

Yeah, and when I heard you, I was fuzzy. 

He glanced over and frowned. "Are you trying to tell me 
there was something in whatever they shot you with that 
turned you fuzzy?" Shit. That wasn't good. He was 
going to have to refocus and deal with the driving on his 
own. 

I think fuzzy is where I go now. 

"Like when you're hurt? So you should be able to 
change back, right? Try." 

He could feel Cody trying, struggling, and slowly, so 
fucking slowly and painfully, the change started. 

It made him wince, feeling that struggle. "Stop. I don't 
need you to drive yet." 

Cody whimpered, panted. Sorry. Sorry. Trying. For you. 
Cody would do anything for him. 

"Let's wait until I'm a little more desperate, huh?" He 
wouldn't let Cody sacrifice or hurt himself for him. 

Cody slumped to the seat, panting harder. 

"You need anything, mate?" 

Cody groaned, eyes closing. 

"Food? Painkillers?" 

Marked - 240 

I'm okay. 

"Yeah? You sure?" The black Jeep moved faster, and he 
had to speed to catch up. 

Cody didn't answer. 

He growled. "Mate..." 

Cody's mind was quiet, still. 

"Mate?" Mate! 

Shh... 

"What's the matter?" He needed to know Cody was all 
right. Damn it, he'd just promised Cody he'd protect his 
mate when the Clan had come in and done something to 
him! 

Stoned. The thought was distant, fuzzy. 

"Oh." He relaxed a little at that. Stoned wasn't hurt, and 
it could explain the inability to change. And it would 
wear off, right? Right. 

The Jeep ahead signaled, and he followed it as it turned 
off the highway and then onto a small, two-lane road. 
He didn't see any signs as they continued to zoom along 
in the growing twilight and the landscape became more 
and more forested. 

Where the hell were they? He was getting fucking tired 
of not knowing what the hell was going on. 

Marked - 241 

Cody's muzzle landed in his lap, his mate's head heavy. 
He dropped one hand to Cody's head, rubbing the soft 
fur there. "It's going to be okay, mate." He kept the 
worry out of his voice and tried to believe his own 
words. 

A soft, hot tongue brushed his wrist. 

"Mmm..." He continued petting, let his feelings for his 
mate push through their bond. 

They all slowed, a huge gate opening, letting them all 
drive inside. He tried to tell himself that this wasn't a 
trap, wasn't fucked up. He couldn't stop the worry, 
though. He didn't know these people, what they wanted, 
what they'd do to his mate. 

Men came out of the car, then the super-pregnant Riana. 
She headed for them. "How's he doing?" 

"They shot him up full of something -- he's pretty 
groggy." He didn't make any attempt to get out of the 
truck yet. 

"Poor baby. There's a cabin. It hasn't been used in a 
couple of years, but it's solid and we have generator 
power." She sniffled. "You need a doctor?" 

He shook his head. "Just a day or two off my damn leg." 

"We can do that." She pointed to a cabin -- the thing 
wasn't beautiful, but it looked solid. "You can rest there. 
I need to..." 

Marked - 242 

The large man from earlier wrapped his arm around her 
waist. "She needs to rest. She's carrying twins. If you 
need anything, we're in the red house." 

"We just need to be left alone." He was about done. 
Really. 

The guy nodded, smiled. "See ya." 

"Thanks." He managed to remember his manners at the 
last minute. He stayed where he was, though, until he 
and Cody were alone, everyone else having scattered. 

Mate? There's shelter. He'd carry Cody if he had to. He 
was really hoping he didn't have to. 

Cody's eyes opened, and his mate sort of... fell out of the 
truck before scrambling to his feet. 

He growled, fingers curling into the fur around Cody's 
neck. Okay, mate? 

Good. Cody panted, almost laughing. 

You really are stoned. He pushed Cody toward the 
dilapidated cabin. 

The laughter got worse. He rolled his eyes and kept 
heading Cody in the right direction. 

The door needed a hard tug to be opened, but it was 
solid and there was a lock on the inside. The cabin was 
simple: a little dusty, but decent. Solid. There was a 
couch, a table, a chair, a rug. Like a house. 

Marked - 243 

He looked for a bed and, when he didn't find it, checked 
the couch. Sure enough, it was a pull-out. He opened it 
up and patted it. "Come on, Mate. You need to sleep it 
off." 

Cody leaped up, turning around and around in the 
sheets. Jesus. He threw himself onto the bed, wrapping 
his arms around Cody and pulling the wolf close. Cody 
groaned, went boneless, and he could hear laughter and 
singing, random joy leaking from his mate. At least it 
was a good trip. He rubbed at Cody's fur, petting and 
stroking and digging his fingers in. 

The place was quiet and felt safe. Felt like a sanctuary. 
He started to relax, the throbbing in his leg backing off a 
bit now that he wasn't using it anymore. He curled 
around Cody and held on, letting his mate's giddiness 
roll through him. 

Home. Home. Home. The word hummed and buzzed 
through Cody. 

Home? Mate? 

Smells so good here. 

He breathed in and sneezed at the dust. The wolf must 
have caught the scents beneath that. I'll take your word 
for it. 

The soft laughter made him want to beat Cody. 

"Some of us are stuck in our skin for another month." 
He buried his nose in Cody's fur -- that was much better 
than the dust. 

Marked - 244 

Cody snuggled back against him, boneless and relaxed. 
At least his mate wasn't hurting, though it bothered him 
that Cody couldn't change. A little niggling voice said, 
what if they'd shot him up with something that made it 
so he couldn't ever change back? 

Shh. You saw. In the truck. It was hard, but I was getting 
there. 

"What?" He hadn't said anything out loud -- or through 
the bond, at least not deliberately. 

Cody's eyes stared at him. What what? 

I didn't say anything. How did you know what I was 
thinking? 

Cody's head tilted and he could feel the confusion. 

"It's okay, mate. Don't worry about it." He rubbed the 
spot on the top of Cody's head between his ears. 
"Probably just some weird side effect from the drugs." 

Cody's eyes crossed, tongue lolling out. 

He chuckled, rubbing his mate's fur again. "You're 
stoned, mate. Out of your brain." 

Still, it was adorable, and for the first time in weeks, he 
felt like he could breathe. He lay there, petting and 
loving on Cody, his body relaxing, easing. 

Marked - 245 

Chapter Eighteen 

He slept hard, his dreams vague and distant, happy, and 
when he woke, Barker was beside him. Cody sniffed 
and licked, cleaning his mate gently. So beautiful. 
Barker made a chuffing sound, a half-laugh, and shifted, 
sighed. He nuzzled the soft balls, then cleaned the 
scabbed wounds on Barker's leg. 

"Mmm." Barker's hand dropped to his head, fingers 
sliding through his fur. "Mate." 

He chuffed, nuzzled Barker's wrist, so happy to have 
Barker awake and easy. 

"You feeling better?" 

He nodded, focused on his skin, his long legs. 

"Oh, yeah, that's it, Cody. You can do it. Be a man for 
me." 

The change happened -- not fast, but it happened, and he 
was sprawled across Barker, smiling. "Mate." 

Chuckling, Barker drew him up a little more and 
brought their mouths together. He wrapped around 
Barker, diving into the kiss with a happy growl. Barker 
opened up for him, tongue sliding along his own. He 
could feel Barker's body responding to him, prick going 
hard, pushing up against his belly. 

His cock swelled, and they started rocking together, 
finding a lazy, rolling rhythm. He could feel Barker's 

Marked - 246 

pleasure through their bond as Barker's hands landed on 
his ass, pressing him down against the strong body. 

"Feeling better?" He bit Barker's bottom lip. 

"Yeah. It's just a little sore now. Easy to ignore." Barker 
grinned, fingers digging in, lips reaching for his once 
more. 

"Good to hear." He arched into the touch, moaned into 
the kiss. 

Barker's agreement was more a sound in their kiss, the 
strong body moving beneath his. His fingers wrapped 
around Barker's cock and he loved that the man was 
dripping for him. 

"Cody!" Barker arched, beginning to pant. 

"Hmm?" 

"More, mate." Don't stop. Don't stop. 

"I won't." Why would he? 

"Good." Groaning, Barker moved faster, cock sliding 
through his fingers. 

Good. Mate. He licked a line down Barker's throat. 

"Uh-huh." Barker groaned, head going back further to 
give him more room. 

He nibbled and licked, sucking up a dark mark. His. A 
low, rumbling noise came from Barker's throat, pleasure 

Marked - 247 

emanating from his mate. Yes. His. He groaned, sucked 
harder. 

"Marking me," muttered Barker, hips jerking, pushing. 

Yes. Mine. My mate. 

"Cody!" Barker cried out, heat pouring over his fingers. 

"Mine." He snarled, bucked against Barker's hip. He 
needed. 

"Yeah, mate. I am." Barker's fingers slid down along his 
hip, down to his prick. 

"Please." His entire body bucked, rolled. 

Barker growled softly for him. "My mate." 

"Yes." He bared his throat, his belly, his balls. 

Barker rolled on top of him, working a mark into his 
throat, his belly, sucking on his balls. Sharp yips left his 
throat, his whole world spinning. Barker's mouth moved 
from his balls and wrapped around his cock. 

"Mate!" Heat poured from him, pulsed from him, and he 
pushed deep into Barker's throat. 

He could feel his lover swallowing down around his 
cockhead, taking him all in. So good. So good. 

He was suddenly so fucking happy, he couldn't bear it. 
Barker let him go, sliding up his body to take his mouth, 

Marked - 248 

share his taste with him. Cody licked at Barker's mouth, 
lazy and easy in his bones. 

You're happy. 

"Mmmhmm." He was. It smelled real here. 

"Good." Barker seemed content to lie there, holding 
him, stroking his skin. 

His cheek found a resting place on Barker's shoulder, 
and he listened to the man's steady heartbeat. 

"I want it to be like this. Just this." 

"Okay." He could handle that. 

He didn't believe it, but he could handle it. 

*** 

Barker closed his eyes and held onto Cody and tried to 
keep everything else out. He could feel how happy Cody 
was in this moment, and he didn't want to let it go. 

His leg started throbbing, though. And he needed a 
shower in the worst way. He probably could have 
ignored all that if his shoulder hadn't started itching. He 
couldn't scratch it without moving, and he just knew that 
once he moved, the moment would be over. 

He tried very hard not to let it get to him, but he could 
feel himself slowly getting tighter, the itch intensifying 
the harder he tried to ignore it. 

Marked - 249 

Cody looked up at him. "Hopefully, this place has a 
bathroom." 

Oh, yeah, he had to do that, too. 

Laughing, giving up on being able to hold onto the 
moment forever, he shifted Cody and scratched his 
shoulder, all but drooling as the itch was relieved. 
"Yeah. And a kitchen." You never knew, and if 
everyone could change at will, maybe they didn't have 
amenities for humans. 

Of course, all these wolves had mates, just like Cody 
had him. There had to be... 

There was. A kitchen, a bathroom, even a tiny bedroom 
in the back that they'd missed the night before with a 
regular bed. He opened some windows, a rush of fresh, 
clean air pushing into the place. It was no wonder 
Cody's wolf had been excited. 

From there, he went to the kitchen, making a face when 
the tiny fridge proved not only to be empty, but not 
running. A try at the light switch confirmed it was the 
electricity that was missing. 

"You have to flip the breakers in the back." A young 
man's face appeared at the window. "I can show you." 

The initial flash of panic at a stranger at their window 
faded slightly as the words sank in, and Barker nodded 
stiffly. He found a door in the kitchen leading to the 
outside. It had three locks on it, and he undid each one 
carefully, noting that they were well oiled and worked 
easily. Someone had built this place with ease of escape 

Marked - 250 

and defensibility in mind. It made him wonder if all the 
homes here were like it. 

And how soon they'd need those defenses. Would the 
Clan come here? He'd seen the look in Harry's eyes, on 
the faces of the others who'd come; they wanted Cody, 
dead or alive. 

"I'm Caleb, by the way. That's my uncle in there." 

"Cody?" It was true, then. Cody's sister was still alive 
and had come to their rescue. He could see the truth of 
Caleb's words in his eyes -- so like Cody's. 

"Yeah. Can I meet him soon? Can he change like Mom? 
I can't wait to find my mate and change, too." 

"Yeah, he can change whenever he wants. That's when 
it's supposed to happen, huh? When you find your 
mate?" So how come Cody hadn't changed ten years 
ago? 

"Mom says you have to, uh..." Caleb pinked. "You 
know, mate, with your mate, during the moon." 

He grunted. That could explain it. He and Cody had 
mated before their first change, and then Cody had been 
sent away. When they'd gotten together this time, they'd 
mated between full moon nights. God, if they'd only 
known. If someone had told them. 

"The breaker box is back here. There's going to be a 
grocery store run today, for flour and potatoes and 
things. The hunters are out, too." 

Marked - 251 

"Is there someone in charge I can talk to?" 

"My dad is the Alpha. He said to tell you to come see 
him when you're rested and settled." Those eyes that 
were blue like Cody's twinkled. "Mom is very, very 
grumpy today. The new babies will be here soon. I 
wouldn't see her." 

"Ladies with babies in their bellies." He nodded. "I 
know well enough to leave them alone." 

"Yeah. Me, too." The breaker box was opened, the fuses 
clearly marked. 

Barker chuckled and watched. "Thanks. I don't suppose 
we can borrow some steak or something." 

"You'll have to talk to my dad. There's like a pack store 
of food, but I don't know how that works, really." 

"Okay, we'll have to go see him now, then." They hadn't 
eaten since pizza yesterday, and that felt like forever 
ago. 

"Okay. Can... can I meet him? Please?" 

"What? Oh. Cody. Sure." Mate, he called softly. 
Someone wants to meet you. 

Okay. I'm dressed. Cody sounded relaxed, easy. 

"Come on in." He held the door open for Caleb. 

The boy headed in and Cody's eyes went wide. "Uncle?" 

Marked - 252 

Cody blinked. "Are you Riana's boy?" 

The kid nodded. "You look like me." 

"No way. You look like me." 

Barker chuckled. "He's got you there, kid. He's older 
than you." 

"I think it's so cool that you're here. Mom talks about 
you a lot." 

Cody shrugged. "She was my only sister." 

"If she talks about him so damn much, why didn't she 
ever come see him, help him?" 

"We all thought he was dead." Cody's sister -- who was 
the most pregnant woman he'd ever seen -- leaned 
against the doorframe. 

"Why? How did you find out he wasn't?" He hated 
bullying her in her condition, but Cody was his mate, 
damn it. 

"One of your people sent a message. A sympathetic 
family member." 

"So you still have ties back to the Clan. You knew they 
were coming after us, after Cody." How could they 
know they were safe here? 

"No. Cody told me." 

"What?" 

Marked - 253 

Cody looked shocked. 

He growled, putting himself between Riana and his 
mate. "What are you talking about?" 

"You told me. You came into my dream and you told 
me." 

"That was real?" 

She nodded. "Yeah. Didn't it feel real?" 

"Mom can dream me, too." Caleb smiled. "It's her gift." 

Her gift? Is our bond your gift? Out loud, Barker asked, 
"So did you instigate the dream or did Cody?" 

"I have no idea. I was dreaming and there he was." She 
smiled. "I'm glad, you know. Even if I never see you 
again, if you leave. I'm glad you are whole and that you 
have your mate." 

"You might want us to leave," Barker pointed out. 
"We've got trouble following us. The Clan thought you 
were dead, but they know Cody isn't. I'm not sure they're 
going to stop hunting him. It could ruin your safe place 
here." 

"We protect our own. This is our land, our place. If they 
want to fight, they have to leave the safety of the city to 
do it." 

"And you're taking us in as your own?" He didn't want 
to get blindsided if they were in the middle of a fight. 

Marked - 254 

"You are our own. You are Pack. I can smell it." 

He nodded. He'd take that. This was Cody's family; they 
would accept him because he was Cody's mate. 

Just like his Clan should have accepted Cody because 
Cody was his. Fuckers. 

Cody's hand slipped over the small of his back. Easy, 
mate. We don't have to make any decisions now. We just 
need to eat. The teasing laughter trickled through the 
bond. 

He growled softly, nodded. "We need to raid your 
fridge, Riana. We're starving." 

"Of course. We're, obviously, fairly self-sufficient here. 
We hunt, grow vegetables, buy odds and ends. It's a 
group thing." She winked, hand rolling over her belly. 
"Come on. I'll show you to the food." 

He held out his hand for Cody, waiting until his mate's 
fingers slid along his before following her out. "When 
are you due? Yesterday?" 

"I think so, yes. Sally says any second. Mick wants to 
meet you, by the way. I don't know if you pups are old 
enough to remember him." 

"We're hardly pups. Mick's your mate? The Alpha?" 

"Yes. The big guy with the bushel of hair." 

Marked - 255 

"Is he like you and Cody?" Could the man change 
whenever he wanted, too? 

She shook her head, blonde hair swinging. "No. Only 
one in a pairing, and the one who changes needs their 
mate. When you die, he'll come with you in short order. 
You only function fully together." 

He could understand that. How could he share what he 
shared with Cody and then have it suddenly disappear? 

Cody's fingers squeezed his as they came to a little 
warehouse. Riana opened the doors, showed him a stash 
of food. 

"We're stocking for the winter, but the meats are in 
there, vegetables, milk." Her eyes danced at them. 
"Please try to avoid eating the goats and the chickens in 
the pen." 

"I'm not furry for another month. Talk to the one who'll 
be beastly before then." He grinned at Cody. 

Cody growled playfully, snapped at him. He laughed as 
they followed Cody's sister, feeling better than he had in 
days. 

"This is the dry stores. Take what you need. We'll ask 
that you contribute. We all do. It keeps us going." 

"Contribute how?" 

A deep, rough voice sounded. "Some of us are hunters, 
farmers. Some of us make things to sell. We all have 
something. Riana, you need to go sit down." 

Marked - 256 

"Boys, Mick. Mick, this is my brother and his mate." 

Mick nodded, the powerful force making Barker want to 
give the man his belly. 

"We've met now. Baby, go. You're tired." 

"Thanks, Riana." Barker nodded to her before facing 
Mick again, noticing she didn't go. "I'm Barker. This is 
Cody." 

"Welcome. How's the house? It's little, it needs work." 

"It does, but it's solid. We can do the work on it if we 
stay." He wasn't promising anyone anything right now. 

Mick nodded. "She would have come back for him, but 
there was no guarantee he was like her. She cried over 
him for years." 

"Uh-huh." Barker didn't want to be mean, but he wasn't 
willing to just ignore the last ten years when Cody could 
have used her help. He was guilty of not being there for 
Cody, too, but at least he hadn't known what was 
possible, what weirdness ran in the family gene pool. 

He couldn't just pretend everything was all sweetness 
and light now. 

Mick nodded like he understood, eyes on his mate, 
nostrils flaring. Maybe he did. 

"I can pay for the food we eat," Barker noted as he 
started going through the fridge, picking up red meat. He 

Marked - 257 

didn't know if Cody would go fuzzy to eat or stay 
human. Either way, they both preferred the red stuff. 

"Okay. That works. If you need medical attention, that's 
Sally." 

"We're good." His leg wasn't bad now that they weren't 
moving. Between his ability to heal quickly and Cody's 
cleaning of it, he'd live and not limp. 

You good, mate? Cody'd been pretty quiet. 

Mmmhmm. Cody was staring at his sister, eyes wide. 
You can see the babies moving. 

Eww. He did not want to see that. He didn't want to 
think it. 

Cody's laughter was soft, warm. "We're going back to 
the house. Resting. Eating. Okay?" 

Mick nodded. "This isn't a prison camp. People will be 
interested to meet you, but they'll give you time." 

"Thanks. Soon as we settle in." He carted their groceries 
out of the storeroom. 

The little guy followed them, jabbering at Cody, asking 
questions, curious. Cody answered a few, but before it 
could become really irritating, Mick growled, drawing 
Caleb away. 

Barker looked over at Cody. "You like it here, don't 
you?" 

Marked - 258 

"It smells like home." 

"Yeah? I hope it is, mate. I really do." 

"I do, too." Cody closed the door behind them, eyes a 
little desperate. 

"Hey." He put the food down and pulled Cody into his 
arms. "As long as we're together, the rest doesn't matter, 
right?" 

Cody sucked in a deep breath nodded, arms around him. 
"Right." 

He pushed their mouths together, tongue sliding 
between Cody's lips. 

Cody pushed into the kiss for a heartbeat, then he leaned 
back. "Food." 

"Uh-huh. Before our stomachs crawl out and eat us." He 
winked at Cody. 

"Grr." Cody growled softly, eyes twinkling. 

Laughing, he found a pan in one of the cupboards in the 
little kitchen and set it on the stove, put the steaks in it. 
"We should explore later. See what all is here, how 
many people." 

"Mmmhmm. We can make friends, wander. Piss on 
trees..." Cody was teasing him. 

He stuck his tongue out at his mate. Cody's laugh made 
him feel sixteen again. 

Marked - 259 

He bumped their hips together as the steaks started to 
sizzle. "Rare?" Like Cody wanted them any other way. 

"Mmmhmm." That was a happy growl. 

He forced himself to pull the steaks off the heat and 
plate them instead of pouncing on his mate. Cody stayed 
human, humming and growling and rubbing against his 
side. He cut their steaks up quickly, offered Cody a bite. 
If Cody didn't stop that, they weren't going to get much 
to eat. He didn't ask his mate to stop. 

Cody nipped the beef from his fingers, teeth teasing his 
fingertips. Groaning, he rubbed his finger along Cody's 
teeth. 

Cody sucked his finger clean. "Your turn." 

He grabbed a piece of steak, tossing it into his own 
mouth, and then held another piece out to his mate. 

"Yummy." Look at his mate. Playing. Fuck, it was hot. 

He leaned in and licked the juices from Cody's lips. 
Cody hummed, making him chase that amazing mouth. 

He grabbed his mate and pushed him against the 
counter, "Now I have you." Grabbing another piece of 
meat, he put it between his own lips and offered it over. 

The happy sound made his cock jerk, and the press of 
lips against his didn't help. 

Marked - 260 

"We need to finish the steak." He wasn't sure if he was 
telling Cody or himself. 

"Uh-huh." Cody fed him two more pieces, chasing them 
with soft kisses. 

God, eating had never been so fucking sexy. He returned 
the favor, his fingers rubbing along Cody's lips as he 
popped the meat into his mate's mouth. He was keeping 
this forever -- this lazy, relaxed happiness. This place 
was good for Cody. 

He licked his mate's mouth, one hand finding and sliding 
on Cody's belly as he grabbed another piece of steak for 
his lover to eat. Cody snapped the bite up, leg sliding up 
along his thigh. He wrapped his hand around Cody's leg, 
holding it there. He could feel Cody's desire, the need 
like a drug. 

Want you, mate. 

He pushed a couple more pieces of steak into Cody's 
mouth, popped three into his own. His hunger for food 
was quickly abating. 

I'm yours. Cody nipped at his fingers again. 

Yes. Mine. Growling, he pushed Cody harder against the 
kitchen counter, his hand squeezing his mate's leg, 
pressing them close together. 

Cody lifted himself up onto the edge of the counter, the 
offer clear. His mate was better than any steak. He 
pushed Cody back a bit, bending to flick his tongue 
across the sweet little hole. 

Marked - 261 

"Fuck. Fuck, Barker." The words were little yelps. 

He nodded and licked more firmly, hands moving to the 
insides of Cody's thighs, spreading his legs wider. 

"Want you. Need you to take me." The words were 
sand-paper rough, Cody's hands clawing in his hair. 

"I will." He pointed his tongue and pushed it into Cody's 
body. 

The scent of the beast was strong here, the musk pure 
Cody. Cody's howl rang through the air, the lust like a 
drug. He fucking loved that sound, and he wanted more. 
He fucked Cody's ass, tongue pushing in over and over. 
Cody was driving down onto his tongue, head back, 
cries echoing out. 

So fucking beautiful, sexy. It made him want. Made him 
need. His mate. His heart. 

When Cody was good and wet, he stood up again, 
pulling off his sweats and pushing his cock into his 
mate. 

"Yes!" Cody's biceps bulged as the strength was added 
to his. 

He pulled most of the way out, then back in again. Cody 
took him in and in, taking every inch and then 
demanding more. 

"All mine," he growled. 

Marked - 262 

Cody was too far gone to answer; his mate just nodded, 
grunted. That worked for him. He began thrusting, 
working his prick into Cody's body again and again. 
That heat wrapped around him, dragged at him, tried to 
keep him in. This was the best thing ever, being buried 
inside his mate, being joined. Being buried inside Cody, 
touching him deep inside. 

He wrapped his mouth around Cody's throat, sucking 
hard. He could feel the blood under the surface of the 
tanned skin, raising up for his lips. He was going to 
leave a dark, lurid mark. Right where everyone could 
see it. His mate. His man. His wolf. His. 

He thrust harder, taking his mate. 

"Mate. Yes. Fill me." 

He grabbed Cody's ass, pulling his mate into each thrust. 
Cody's hand pushed between them, fingers tight around 
that needy prick. He bit at the mark he'd made, teeth 
scraping along his skin. Heat sprayed up between them, 
Cody's ass like a fist around his cock. 

"Fuck! Mate!" He pushed in hard, come pouring from 
him into Cody. 

They stayed there, Cody perched on the edge of the 
counter, both of them panting, shaking. He let his 
pleasure and love go through the bond. 

"Bed. This counter is biting into my butt." 

He laughed as he slid out, picked Cody up to carry him 
to bed. 

Marked - 263 

"Do you think we can stay?" 

"Maybe." He'd do his best for his mate. Cody deserved 
to be somewhere he was happy. 

Cody curled around him, human and melted for the first 
time in his memory. 

"As long as I'm with you, that's the important part." 

He squeezed Cody tight, nodded. "Love you, mate," he 
said quietly. 

"Love." Cody kissed his jaw. 

He pressed their foreheads together, smiling into his 
mate's eyes. The happiness there, that was worth 
fighting for. 

After the last ten years, they fucking deserved it. 

Marked - 264 

Chapter Nineteen 

They stayed in the cabin -- eating and resting and 
making love -- for three days. Then Cody slipped out 
while Barker was sleeping and went to explore. 

Riana was at one of the larger homes, a young girl in her 
arms, resting on the porch. "Brother." 

"Riana." 

"Finally came out of hibernation, hmm?" 

He grinned, shrugged. "Winter is coming, isn't it?" 

"It is." She gave him a sharp look. "Are you staying?" 

"I hope so. This smells like home." He arched an 
eyebrow. "If Barker's uncomfortable, I'll go with him." 

"Where? Where would you go? You fit here. You 
belong here." She rubbed her belly. 

He nodded. "How are you feeling? You're the size of a 
house." 

"I'm ready to pop. I don't know why they're waiting." 

"Are there two?" He came closer, surprised as the little 
girl slid from her mother's arms into his, cuddling in. He 
must smell like Pack. 

"Yeah, there are. Two boys." She reached out and 
touched his cheek. "I didn't know you could get the 

Marked - 265 

change if you mated with another male. He makes you 
happy?" 

"He's amazing." Barker was perfect. 

Riana snorted softly. "You wouldn't be biased at all." 

"No more than you are. I thought you were dead." 

She nodded. "It's easier for the rest of the Clan if 
everyone believes that." 

"They know Cody's alive, though." Barker came up 
behind him, arm looping around his waist. "What's 
more, they know he doesn't need the moon to change." 

He felt a soft stroke through the bond he shared with his 
mate. He leaned into Barker's warmth. The little girl in 
his arms looked up to Barker, smiled, and settled back 
down. 

"Yes, and they'll come for him." Mick came out of the 
house with three other men and one tall, lean woman. 

Great, this is where they asked him to leave. Barker 
stiffened slightly next to him, puffing up a little. The 
hand around his waist was solid, and Cody could all but 
hear Barker's growls through their bond. 

"They will," Barker agreed, voice rough. 

"Well, then. We'd all better get prepared." The Alpha's 
voice made him shiver, just a bit. "Because I'm not 
giving up a single one of my Pack." 

Marked - 266 

Barker met Mick's eyes. "You're counting Cody and me 
in that number?" 

"Yes." No waffling, no doubt. Mick sounded sure. 

They want us, mate. You're sure this is where you want 
to be? 

He nodded. Yes. Yes. 

"Thank you." Barker looked at Mick and then tilted his 
head back, making himself vulnerable to Mick. "I'll fight 
proudly by my Alpha's side." 

He vibrated a little, when Mick's lips touched Barker's 
throat. Then everyone looked at him. 

He nodded. "I'm in." 

Mate. There was a wealth of pride in Barker's thoughts. 

Mick's lips touched his throat, a gentle welcome, then 
the touch was gone. 

He'd felt Barker tense, but his mate quickly relaxed. 
"We're going to need a plan." 

"First, we need some introductions. You have a Pack to 
meet." Mick winked, lips quirking in something that 
could be a smile. 

"Sure." Barker's arm tightened around his waist. His 
mate was making his claim very clear. As if the lurid 
mark on his throat wouldn't do that. 

Marked - 267 

"No." Riana's voice was sure, if a little breathless. "First, 
someone find Sally. I think my water just broke." 

"Oh, man." Barker actually took a step backward. "No 
offense, but I am so glad I'm not female." 

"You and me, both." An older man drew them to the 
side as Mick sent a young girl to another cabin. 

"I'm Vince, by the way. You're Cody and Barker. 
Welcome." 

"Thanks." Barker shook the man's hand, replying for 
both of them. "Who are you related to?" 

"My lady and me, we're from the Northern Hill Pack. 
Well, we were. I was the Alpha until Mick came." 

"Are you like Riana?" 

Cody could see Barker putting people together, figuring 
things out, how things worked. 

"I am, and Leeah grows things. Everything she plants, it 
thrives." 

"Yeah? I'm good at guarding things." Barker growled a 
little, baring his teeth. 

"Excellent." Warm brown eyes turned to him. "And 
you?" 

He shrugged, suddenly worried. What if he didn't have 
anything to offer? What if... Wait. Wait. "I worked in 
construction for years." 

Marked - 268 

"He hunts. He's strong. He can be human when everyone 
else succumbs to the wolf." There was that pride again, 
shining from Barker. 

"Excellent. You don't know how much we've needed 
help just keeping things up." 

"You'll never regret inviting Cody to be a part of your 
Pack." 

"Of course not." Vince laughed. "Come meet Layla and 
Ben, Mark and Hettie. There are ten families. You'll 
learn about all of them." 

"Ten!" Barker grabbed his hand and they followed 
Vince. "And all of them have a wolf who can beast out 
whenever they want?" 

"Yes. You're the only same sex pair, though. No one 
knew that could happen." 

"Cody's special," Barker suggested. 

"Yes." Those eyes met his. "I can't imagine going for ten 
years, suffering. You've got to be the strongest man I 
know." 

Cody could feel Barker's pride in him wash over him. 

Before he could answer, a group of kids all younger than 
Caleb came barreling over. 

"Are you new?" 

Marked - 269 

He looked down at all of them -- there had to be nine of 
them -- and nodded. "I'm Cody." 

"Wanna come play hide and seek?" 

He chuckled. "You know what? I do." He grinned at 
Barker, at Vince. 

Barker rolled his eyes and shook his head. Crazy, mate. 
He could hear the fondness in the thoughts, though. 

Going to play! 

He waved, ran, roaring playfully and chasing the kids 
into the trees. 

It was home. 

*** 

Barker knew he and Cody could contribute more than 
their share to the Pack; that wasn't what worried him. 
They were bringing trouble with them. They hadn't 
asked for it, but there it was -- the Clan wasn't going to 
just let Cody go. 

While Cody was off playing with the kids again, he 
searched Mick out. 

Riana had given birth to two beautiful boys two days 
ago, and mother and babies were doing fine. Mick was 
sitting on the front porch of his house with a lazy, tired 
smile on his face. 

Marked - 270 

"Hey," Barker called out as he approached, moving to sit 
in the empty chair next to Mick's. 

"Hey. Your mate is good with the kids. They love him." 

"I think he likes them because they're uncomplicated. 
They say what they mean, and they just want to have 
fun." There was an ease about Cody here that had been 
missing, even in the first days after Cody's change. 

"That they do. How are you? Have you seen my sons?" 

"No, I..." He grinned sheepishly. "I've never been too 
good around babies." He'd never really been around 
babies, what with being a bachelor and all. 

"Would you like to? Riana is sleeping, but they're in 
their cribs." 

"Oh, uh. Sure?" He wasn't going to insult the Alpha by 
not wanting to see his new pups. Of course, he'd better 
make sure he didn't insult the Alpha by dropping said 
pups on their heads, either. 

He was led into the house, which was filled with 
decorations and toys -- obviously a home. There were 
two bassinets in the main room, two beautiful boys 
sleeping away. 

"They're so little. And perfect. Little perfect people." 

Mick nodded. "They're going to be strong wolves." 

"They're going to need to be protected until then." 

Marked - 271 

"They are." Mick met his eyes. "I dare anyone to come 
take what's ours." 

"Do we have a plan? Because before Cody and I left the 
city, I was warned. About what they would do to Cody. 
They want to take him apart and see what makes him 
able to change whenever he wants." 

"They can't, and if they try, we call in the Northern 
Clans. No offense, Barker, but your Alpha's a 
dickcheese and there's not an Alpha one that won't stand 
with us, against him." 

He laughed out loud, surprised by Mick's words. "No 
offense taken. And he's not my Alpha anymore, Mick." 

"Good." Mick drew him out of the house, letting the 
babies sleep. "I think we ought to make it clear, though, 
that we aren't open to negotiations. They banished Riana 
and Cody. They don't get to claim them." 

"Exactly." Barker nodded. "I think if we've got the threat 
of the Northern Clans behind us, they'll be reasonable." 
He hoped so, anyway. He didn't want to have to take a 
whole bunch of packs to war, but he was willing to do it 
if he had to. 

"So we'll meet on neutral ground, bring Dorian and 
Kerry, Harrison and Starla from the Northern Packs. 
We'll make a show." 

"You want me to contact them?" Although he had a 
hunch William would be more likely to treat it as a real 
meeting and not just a chance to snatch Cody if it came 
from another Alpha. 

Marked - 272 

"No. I want you to make sure the Pack is safe while 
we're gone. Make sure there's enough coverage. Tell 
Vince that he'll be in charge here." 

"If I'm not going with you, neither is Cody." Mick might 
be their Alpha now, but Cody was his. 

Mick's eyebrow arched. "I didn't say you weren't 
coming. I said you were in charge of assuring our Pack 
is safe when we go." 

"Oh." He blinked. "I'm the security? Are you sure I'm 
enough?" 

"You're going to have to be." 

He nodded. "Okay. Okay, I will be." 

He would do it. He would prove to his new Pack that he 
could protect them. 

"Good." One of the babies started wailing, the sound lost 
and scared. "I'll leave you to it." 

"When are we going?" 

"Let me make some calls. I'll let you know." 

"Okay." He held his hand out and shook with Mick. 

Then he let the man go tend to his family while he 
wandered toward the forest that surrounded the clearing 
holding the Pack's houses. 

Marked - 273 

Mate? 

Hmm? Cody was near water, walking, the children gone. 

Want company? He closed his eyes and... felt for where 
he thought Cody's thoughts had come from, started 
walking in that direction. 

The bond was getting stronger with every passing day. 
Yes. What have you been up to? 

Working on getting us free of the Clan. He kept walking, 
following that feeling that said "Cody." 

Good. Every day, Cody looked healthier, less haunted. 

You were right. This is a good place. Better than the city 
he'd thought he loved. It was funny, only not, how 
things changed. 

He met Cody's eyes as he walked into a clearing. Cody 
was human, lazing in the sun. Beautiful. 

"Mate." He spoke the word out loud. Or maybe through 
the bond; he didn't know, and it didn't matter. 

"Barker." Cody smiled at him, stretched. 

"Look at you." He growled a little and started stripping 
as he admired the sun-kissed skin. 

"I'll look at you. Mate." 

Marked - 274 

It made him strut and flex, showing off for his lover. 
The deep moan was gratifying, low. Appreciative. He 
pulled off his clothes, lying down with his mate. 

"Barker." Cody's face was relaxed, tanned. Barker was 
watching his lover age backward. 

"Cody." He pressed their lips together, the kiss slow and 
sweet. 

They rested together on the blanket that Cody had 
brought, both of them breathing into the kisses. His 
mate's skin was so soft, calling to his fingertips. 

"You taste good." Cody's words were warm on his lips. 

"Good." He wanted Cody to love everything about him. 

"What did Mick say?" 

"We're going to meet up with William and the City 
Clan. Us and representatives from the Northern Packs. 
Work out a truce, make it clear that they mess with you, 
they mess with everyone." He gave Cody a toothy grin. 
"Apparently there's little love lost between William and 
the Northern Packs." 

Cody frowned. "They'll go to war for me? That doesn't 
seem right." 

"Why not? We're a part of Mick's Pack now. Would they 
go to war over the littlest pup? Of course they would. So 
why not you?" 

"I just..." Cody shrugged. "Guilt, I guess." 

Marked - 275