Shadow Effect - 23. Chapter 23

Tyler rubbed his eyes. The goop and grit felt like it had been there for a week, now a permanent fixture in the corners. One thing was for sure, Zev was a savage savant when it came to deciphering, decoding and generally making heads out of tails. He’d never seen anything like it. The laser-precision focus was awe-inspiring. The stacks of printouts, which seemed like gibberish to everyone else, slowly melted into something that made sense to Zev.

Once Zev printed his scribbled, hand-written notes into something legible, Tyler carefully input the information into the spreadsheets Zev created. Columns and rows were neatly organized. The pup’s names, hometown, date of birth, and age stood out, easy to see right off the bat. The information was further categorized by when they were abducted and the day they were successfully hybridized. Most importantly, in his opinion, was the date of the auction or sale, buyer's name or auction winner, as well as the last known location of the pup. Finally, a column for miscellaneous information was clearly labeled.

Zev smiled weakly, looking as tired as Tyler felt. “Here, this is the last one.” They’d been at it for close to thirty hours. His eyes felt fried. He could only imagine how Zev’s were. He thought, quite possibly, they weren’t just fried, they were extra-crispy.

He took the handwritten notes, which he could easily interpret after so many hours. He likened it to a physician’s assistant being able to make out the doctor’s handwriting after working for them for a while.

It didn’t take long for him to complete the data entry and print out the sheet pertaining to the last known hybrid who was sold. Zev took the piece of paper and filed it. All of the information on the pups was sorted according to date of sale, the most recent on top. Even to him the stack looked too big.

“Let’s go inform the troops we’re finished. Once we’ve updated everyone, I suggest we get some sleep. I don’t know about you, but I’m beyond done. Burnt and crumbly is how I feel,” Zev admitted.

“Yeah, me too. I could definitely use a couple of days of sleep,” he chuckled weakly.

“Hey, Tyler?”

He looked his new friend in the eyes. “Yeah?”

“Thank you. For all your help. It would’ve taken me twice as long if I had to do all the data entry. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. I was happy to do it. Y’know, ever since we were kids, I’ve always envied Elijah and his ability. I thought it made him special. Doing this? Helping you out? Well, it made me feel special for a change. I don’t feel like I’m on the outside looking in.”

Zev clapped his shoulder before slinging his arm over it and guiding Tyler down the hall toward Sebastian’s office. They found the others in there, huddled around Sebastian’s desk.

Sebastian looked up when they came in, his face tight, until registering the look of triumph Tyler knew was splashed across both their faces.

“Done already?” he asked.

Tyler’s jaw dropped. Already? It felt like they’d been at it for days.

Zev shook his head before answering. “My brother Tyler here busted his ass for the past thirty-ish hours and all you have to say is ‘Done already?’ Alpha, I’m hurt,” he replied, mockingly clasping both hands over his heart while trying to look indignant, but instead looked like he’d swallowed a lemon.

“Your efforts will not go unrewarded,” Sebastian quipped dryly, not moved by Zev’s theatrics.

Zev smiled. “All kidding aside, yes, we’re ‘done already’ as you put it. Here’s everything. All seventy-six pups and their last known whereabouts. So, what’s the plan? I’m assuming you have something in the works?”

“We do, but you both look like you could use some sleep. Why don’t you go get some rest and we’ll discuss everything in the morning?”

“What time is it, anyway?” Tyler asked, not bothering to stifle a yawn.

“One-fifteen. As in A.M,” Elijah informed him, his own yawn cracking his jaw.

“Go, set alarms if you have to. We’ll meet for breakfast at nine.” Sebastian’s order was clear. Tyler wasted no time grabbing Elijah’s hand and hauling him down the hallway. He wanted the scoop before his brain shut down.

He detoured into Elijah’s room, shutting the door behind them. “Spill.”

“You never were very patient, were you?” his best friend said sarcastically.

“Just tell me what the plan is, you ass.”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist. Basically, it boils down to three teams of two, going to rescue the pups. Ben and Zev will be one team, Logan and Cooper on the second, and the third will be me and—”

Tyler wanted to kill his friend when he hesitated. Shit, who the hell were they going to pair him with? That cute redhead, Ronan? Rowan? Roland? He glared at Elijah, which only made him laugh.

“You. Sebastian’s out of his cotton-picking mind, but he’s agreed to let you be part of this.”

“Seriously? Why? Not that I don’t want to, but I figured he’d be all ‘Tyler’s a hoo-man, donna hav’ da skullzz ta git da jub dun’.”

Elijah choked when his laugh got mixed with a cough at Tyler’s lame attempt at mimicking the Alpha’s Irish accent.

“Don’t ever do that again. Promise me?” Elijah started giggling again. “That was the worst accent I’ve ever heard!”

Tyler had to smile. Even to his ears, it sounded pretty bad.

“No promises, but really, why is he letting me do this?”

Elijah sobered. “Because he recognizes that you and I know each other as well as we know ourselves. He’s confident you can help me and knows that I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe and vice versa. Besides, we’re not going after any of the pups that were auctioned to supernaturals. Even I can see it would be a suicide mission. I don’t have anywhere near enough experience dealing with them and you have zilch. We get to go after the pups who were sold to humans. We both know we’ve dealt with more than our fair share of idiots and, what bigger idiot is there than someone who thinks they can get away with trafficking kids?”

Once the realization of what they were going to do sank in, a weariness like he rarely ever felt seeped into him, all the way down to his bones. He got up and gave Elijah a quick hug before heading toward the shared bathroom. He stopped briefly to empty his bladder and swipe his toothbrush across a few of his teeth before falling into the bed still fully dressed. His last thought as he drifted off was maybe should take off his sneakers. Nah.

Somehow, he managed to open his eyes when the annoying poking in his side became unignorable. “Go ‘way,” he grumbled.

“Get your fat ass out of bed. It’s eight forty-five. You got fifteen minutes to shower and get to breakfast.” Elijah’s fake, chirpy, perky voice grated across his eardrums. A morning person his best friend was not. He was doing this just to be annoying. Fuck. Why did it feel like he just closed his eyes? He threw his extra pillow toward the direction Elijah’s voice came from, but by then his best friend was out of range.

“Move your money-maker Tyler! I’ll meet you down there.”

Tyler reluctantly dragged himself to the bathroom, which was still steamy from Elijah’s shower. He turned the water on, letting it warm up. Stepping in, he stood under the spray long enough to wash up and rinse off. It was barely enough time to wake up. They better have a gallon of coffee set aside just for him.

Dressed and semi-functional, he made his way to the kitchen, assaulted by the heavenly scent of bacon. And best of all; coffee. A most glorious combination if ever existed. Pouring himself a mega-large mug, he growled when Elijah stepped too close.

He ignored the glare that was directed at him, grabbed a plate, piled it high, and sat next to Zev, who looked about as awake as he was.

It took a moment to realize someone was staring at him. It was one of the twins. Logan, maybe? They weren’t identical, but they looked a lot alike. His level of wakefulness ratcheted up a notch, and for the first time in a while, his dick twitched with interest. He allowed his gaze to rake up and down the parts that were visible across the table. Mmmhmmm, not bad at all.

His natural smart-assedness kicked in, and he caught Logan’s eye and winked. He was rewarded with a glimpse of pink tongue brushing the man’s lower lip, followed by white teeth biting that same lip. Sexy fucker.

His flirting was abruptly halted as Sebastian addressed the group. “Thanks for getting up early. I know we’ve all been running on little or no sleep the past couple of days and I appreciate the effort. After we finish eating, I’d like to go over the game plan we came up with and get everyone up to speed. Logan and Cooper, your input is welcome after you’ve had time to digest the information and ask questions. Same goes for you, Zev and Tyler. The work you both did over the past day and a half is invaluable. As soon as everyone has eaten, we’ll adjourn to the common room.”

Tyler focused on his food. He inhaled two giant mugs of coffee and filled it a third time before heading to the common room with Elijah. Logan and his brother were ahead of them, and he couldn’t help but admire the cute sway Logan put into his hips as he walked in front of them. On purpose, for sure.

Elijah elbowed him as they took a seat on one of the loveseats. Yeah, he needed to focus. He shot his friend a look of gratitude for keeping him on track.

The Alpha got their attention. “Okay, here’s what we’ve come up with so far, and please, if you have any thoughts or suggestions, write them down and we can discuss them at the end,” Sebastian said as he handed out folders to each team.

Tyler thumbed through the information, seeing that it contained a lot of what he spent the better part of thirty hours inputting into spreadsheets.

“As you can see, each of you has been given a dossier on ten pups. I’d like each team to go over the information with a fine-tooth comb and decide how you want to approach their rescues. Try to factor in all variables. Details pertaining to their families are there as well. Over the next few days, Reilly, Hunter, Kellan, and I will validate as much of this material as we can. I’m also going to assemble a separate team to work on fact-finding for us. No one will step one little piggy toe into the field until we’re armed with as much information as we can get our hands on. I’m also going to enlist our friends in the Council to help. Nat Chusi and Andy Faulkner have agreed to help with the research on the pups who’ve been sold or auctioned overseas.”

The implication that this was worldwide hit Tyler just then, a sobering thought if ever there was one.

Sebastian continued. “We’ve identified thirty-eight pups whose last known location was here in North America; the majority in the US, with a handful in Canada. Three are possibly in Mexico. Out of the thirty in the US, one-third are in the hands of humans. That means ten humans, most likely more, are aware of the existence of supernaturals. Elijah and Tyler, those pups will be your primary focus.”

Tyler snuck a glance at Elijah, whose eyes were glued to Sebastian, before he, too, gave the Alpha his undivided attention.

“Simon and Roberto will be here in a few days to assist you as necessary. They’ve already identified two individuals with ties to the illegal porn industry. I do not, and I repeat, do not want either of you trying to take down these humans. Do you understand? Your only objective is to rescue the pups. We will have other teams in place to deal with the traffickers. If you can not stick to that objective, speak now and I will assign another team.”

Tyler swallowed before answering, “Yes, sir. I understand. The pups are our only priority.”

Elijah was quick to follow suit, agreeing with him.

“Good. Once you have secured a pup, you are to transport him back here. I have volunteers getting the unused section of the lodge ready for the pups and their families. Nat’s going to recruit a few more shifter mental health professionals and physicians. Donovan will need help.”

Again, Tyler was realizing the true scope of the operation was just barely getting underway. There were so many pieces that needed to be sorted. He was glad he wasn’t the one in charge of maneuvering those pieces into place. It was as complex as a hundred-piece orchestra performance. So many components needed to work together to harmonize.

“Questions?” Sebastian’s query elicited several responses from the group.

“When do we start?” Elijah asked. The same thought had been on Tyler’s mind.

“I anticipate your teams should be ready to go no sooner than a week, and no later than two, provided the information on each of the pups is verified and no issues arise.”

A disturbing thought hit Tyler, and he asked, “What do we do if the pup is deceased?”

A sobering hush fell over the group as the reality of the situation sank in. In all likelihood, there would be instances where they would discover a pup who had not survived.

“If you can make arrangements for their remains to be returned to the family, then do so. If it’s not possible, then we will have counselors available for anyone who may need them.” The implication that the offer included the rescuers was understood.

“What if the pup has been moved?” asked Logan.

“Follow the trail as long as possible. If it goes cold, or the situation is too dangerous, you report back and we’ll take over.”

“What if the pup is feral?” Zev wanted to know.

“Then you contact me directly. Depending on the severity of the situation, the pup may need to be put down.” Sebastian’s answer brought another round of uncomfortable silence. After a brief moment, he added, “I’ll have a team who will handle that if it happens.”

“I’m sorry, but could you explain a little more about what exactly you mean by feral?” he asked. Tyler wasn’t sure what they meant by feral, and why a pup would have to be put down because of it.

Sebastian took a deep breath before answering. “Wolves are social creatures. They don’t do well when they are away from their pack. In lieu of that, any other contact, such as humans, would suffice as long as it was in a positive environment and wasn’t permanent. When isolated for long stretches, such as months, and most certainly years, a wolf will push its human back and take over, rendering the human side useless. It gets to a point where the human is suppressed by the wolf. They’re no longer able to be in control at all and have no control over its wolf. The wolf becomes wild, killing when hungry, or in some cases, just for fun. The killing isn’t limited to animals. They’ll hunt humans just as easily.”

“There’s no cure?”

“Well, not really. There have been a few rare cases where a close family member, such as a mother or father, or a mate, has been able to get through to the wolf and convince him or her to stop suppressing its humanity. It’s a long process and takes a toll on everyone. Even then, there’s no guarantee of how much humanity will be restored.”

A few more issues were addressed. Tyler felt confident he and Elijah would be able to handle most anything that arose. The feral thing made him uneasy, but only because it saddened him to think a life had to end because of something that was no fault of the pup and couldn’t be controlled. He still didn’t understand how deep the mental and emotional toll could be on a person, or rather wolf, that could make them turn wild.

“If there are no more questions, then I suggest the six of you take the next week to study the information you’ve been given, rest up, or find something to distract you. I have plenty of help and you will all need to be at the top of your game for what’s coming up. If you think of anything else, text me. We’ll have another meeting in a few days and finalize the roll-out,” Sebastian informed them before shooing everyone out of the house to go and try to have some fun.

“Hey, Tyler! Elijah!” Logan called out as they headed toward the Nissan.

“What’s up?” Tyler answered.

“I was thinking Cooper and I could show you guys around. Then maybe later, you and I could hang out?”

Tyler smiled. “Sure, that sounds good. Is that okay with you, E?”

Elijah barely suppressed a smirk as he looked between them. “Uh, yeah.”

Logan pointed to his truck, a Ford F150 with an extended cab, indicating the front passenger seat was for Tyler. He caught Cooper rolling his eyes as he hopped into the back. Elijah shook his head.

Logan gave them the ten-cent tour of the town, then headed out one of the back roads, climbing up into the mountains. The windows were down, and a cool breeze whipped around them. The two-lane road zigzagged through the switchbacks until they were close to the top of a pass. A wider area allowed Logan to pull over and park.

Getting out, Tyler let out a low whistle. The panorama spread out before them was stunning. He could make out the town far below, looking like a small speck. The lodge was nestled into the lower part of a long slope, just below the treeline.

“This is amazing,” he declared, unable to keep the awe from his voice.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s one of my favorite spots,” Logan admitted.

Elijah and Cooper descended from the truck and admired the view, too. There was something special about nature and the scenes it painted. Tyler envied the twins and their ability to run free as wolves.

They decided to drive over to Great Falls and catch a movie and grab a bite to eat. It wasn’t all that late when they returned to the McDen. Cooper waved goodbye, claiming he needed to get some sleep.

“His girlfriend texted him. He’s going to get laid,” Logan announced.

“On that note, I’m going to go turn in. I’m still tired,” Elijah said, giving Tyler a wink before heading toward his room.

Logan shifted back and forth from one foot to another, a nervous sort of gesture. “So, um, are you tired too?” he asked.

“Not particularly,” Tyler replied with what he hoped was a sexy grin.

“Oh?” Logan’s eyes widened with interest.

“Well, your Alpha did give us an order to distract ourselves, didn’t he? You’re not supposed to disobey your Alpha are you?” Tyler stepped coyly into Logan’s personal space.

“Nope. Not gonna disobey the Alpha. So what kind of distraction might keep us busy?”

“This kind.” Tyler closed the distance and sealed his lips over Logan’s, tasting the sweet spiciness of the raspberry jalapeno cream cheese danish he had for dessert. Nice. The kiss went on until it became necessary to come up for air.

“Where’s your room?” Tyler asked, slightly out of breath.

Logan gave him a lopsided grin, grabbed his hand, and led him into the house, which thankfully was deserted. Logan’s room was in the wing closest to the kitchen. It was a little larger than the guest suite he was using and a helluva lot messier. Tyler wouldn’t exactly say slobbish, but it was close.

The cleanliness of the room didn’t matter. The only thing he wanted to concern himself with was the hardness he felt when Logan was pressed up against him. He was very interested in more exploration.

“Top or bottom?” Logan asked.

“Either.”

Logan waggled his eyebrows. “Both it is, then.”

“Supplies?” Even though Tyler knew shifters couldn’t give or get sexually transmitted diseases, condoms made everything less messy.

Logan broke away long enough to grab the items from his nightstand. The Boy Scouts had nothing on horny twenty-somethings.

Tyler pulled his sweatshirt off, followed by the t-shirt underneath, Logan gave him an appreciative look and divested himself of his own long-sleeved shirt, and then moved to unbutton his jeans.

Tyler batted his hands away and dropped to his knees, deftly popping open the button, unzipping the fly and pushing the jeans and boxers down in one fell swoop. Logan’s mostly hard cock slapped against his belly.

Not wanting to waste a moment, Tyler grasped the shaft and gave it a few strokes, liking the way his hand fit around it. Logan was uncut and he bent his head to let his tongue play with the loose skin, teasing the wet tip that started to poke through. Logan’s dick filled even more, the head pushing more foreskin out of the way.

Some guys were turned off by uncircumcised cocks, but not Tyler. He wished he was uncut. All of his previous intact hookups all said it increased the sensations, thereby increasing the pleasure. If the low moans coming from Logan were any indication, there was some truth to the theory.

Tyler took Logan to the back of his throat, relaxing as much as he could, allowing the slick head to bump his tonsils, fighting the urge to gag.

“Jesus Christ, Tyler! You are good at this.”

Tyler pulled back until just the tip was in his mouth and gave the head a firm suck before pulling off with a loud pop, and a grin.

“You know what they say; when you enjoy what you do, you get good at it.”

“I can’t wait to see what else you enjoy doing,” Logan grinned back at him.

Tyler stood up and rid himself of his jeans and underwear, pushing against Logan until he fell back on the bed, pulling him along on top. Kissing commenced once again, this time their dicks rubbing directly against one another, with no material to get in the way.

Tyler rolled off and reached down to cup Logan’s balls. They were large and hung low, not his usual preference, but he wasn’t complaining. Slowly, he kissed his way down Logan’s chest and stomach, following his thick treasure trail to once again lick his way along the leaking cock, which was now rock hard. He slipped down to nuzzle those big balls before taking each into his mouth one at a time.

“Oh fuck, Tyler! That feels good!” Logan exclaimed.

Tyler gave the testicles a tongue bath, feeling them tighten as he played with them. Not wanting the fun to end too soon, he scooted back up.

Logan took the reins and engaged in some serious reciprocity. Tyler hissed as his cock was sucked into Logan’s mouth so fast, it bordered on painful. It only took a millisecond to register that it was the good kind of pain. So good, he nearly shot prematurely and would have if Logan hadn’t released him just as quickly as he’d sucked him in.

“Where the fuck did you learn that?” he panted.

Logan chuckled. “A little twink named Danny, who I ran into on a trip to Atlanta a few years ago.”

“I need to go to Atlanta.”

Logan shut him up with another searing kiss. One that ended only when he felt a slick finger sliding between his ass cheeks. He pulled his knees up to give the man better access and was rewarded with a finger sliding in with ease. He sighed as the finger wiggled inside him, slowly stretching.

“Stretch me good. It’s been a while,” Tyler informed his new lover.

“Define a while.”

“My last few hookups have all been ladies. It’s probably been two years since I’ve been with a guy.”

Logan hesitated at the word ladies.

“I’m bi, I just haven’t found any guys worth fucking, or being fucked by, until now.”

The confession seemed to placate Logan, and as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the finger in his ass was joined by another. A soft whimper of delight escaped Tyler’s lips.

Logan scissored his fingers, added more lube, and snuck in a third digit. Tyler jolted when his prostate was grazed. and then squirmed when Logan deliberately rubbed it.

“Fuck me, Logan,” he ordered, the need to cum short-circuiting his thought process.

Logan’s fingers disappeared, and Tyler heard the telltale ripping of a condom wrapper, right before the distinct sound of lube being squirted out of the bottle. He reached down and helped Logan spread the lube along the length of his suited-up cock, then took his own cock into his now slippery hand just as Logan pressed into him.

Tyler sucked in a deep breath and squeezed his dick as the initial burn of entry singed his ass. He stroked his shaft, not wanting his erection to flag due to the quick sting of pain. Logan stopped moving, just the head of his cock embedded in Tyler’s chute, letting him get accustomed to the stretch.

It didn’t take long.

“You can move,” he said, wiggling his ass, lifting his hips slightly to prompt Logan to continue. Slowly, but steadily, he felt himself filled up, until at last Logan’s massive balls rested against his butt cheeks. Soon those balls were slapping against him. He wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t end up with two big, round bruises on his ass.

Tyler loved sex. He loved fucking into a tight hole, and he loved getting his own hole fucked. Glory be to God, Logan could seriously fuck. He pistoned in and out like a locomotive engine trying to cross the Continental Divide. He certainly was The Little Engine That Could, only not so little.

Tyler picked up the pace and started to spank his monkey faster, until at last his balls drew up tight and a familiar electricity jolted along the base of his spine.

“Gonna cum!” he warned.

“Do it!” Logan growled.

Three more fast, tight strokes and he exploded, jetting out ropes of cum onto his belly, a few shots landing in the soft hair along Logan’s stomach. His ass muscles squeezed repeatedly and Logan shouted his name as he emptied himself into the condom, jerking spastically as he came. Not only were his balls huge, but they were fully loaded. As soon as the spasm abated, Logan was quick to reach down and grab the base of the condom before sliding out.

One look confirmed that the condom was full. Jesus Christ, he was now glad he didn’t try to suck him off. He probably would’ve drowned. He watched Logan’s fine ass as he sauntered to the bathroom to rid himself of the party balloon attached to his dick. He was grateful for the warm cloth Logan handed him upon slipping back into bed. Tyler wiped off some of the residual lube, then got up to finish cleaning up in the bathroom and empty his bladder.

He wasn’t sure if Logan wanted him to stay, but pleasantly surprised when the man patted the space beside him when he returned. Tyler slid between the covers and Logan snuggled up to him.

“So I-I was thinking, Sebastian said we needed to have some fun this week. If, um, it’s okay with you, I wouldn’t be opposed to some more of what we just did, I mean, just hooking up. I’m not looking to get into any feels or anything. Kinda-sorta a friends with benefits a-arrangement?” Logan stuttered, obviously a little embarrassed.

“I get it Logan. I’m not looking for anything other than a hookup either. You probably have a mate somewhere out there and I’m not going to stand in your way of happily ever after. Sex is sex. I enjoyed it. It seemed like you did too. I’m down for a week of fucking and sucking if you are. Besides, I need to tap that ass of yours. You can’t have all the fun.”

Logan blushed. It was actually cute.

Yep, this was going to be a fun week. Thank you, Sebastian.