Eternal - 1. Chapter 1: Charles

Eternal

Chapter One: Charles

Charlie held back his smile. Actually, the pick up line was funny and original as far as he knew. He had never heard it before. And Charlie heard them all at one time or another, especially when he came into one of these bars. He looked up from his beer and turned to see who the fool was. As he suspected, another kid, maybe twenty. Charlie passed for thirty if he didn’t shave. Clean shaven and in broad daylight he was more like twenty-five. But today had been a hard day and Charlie thought maybe this was what it felt like to be forty. He was ready to give the kid the ‘get lost’ look when the kid whispered, “Please let me stand here with you.” Charlie cocked an eyebrow and sighed. Slowly he turned his back to the bar and gave the barroom his smile. Warmth and good will spread across the room. Smiles and light laughter began to replace the random raucous of a moment before. A quick scan around the room revealed the trouble. It wasn’t the trouble he was looking for, but it was trouble. He turned to the kid, “Friends of yours?” Well shit, Charlie thought. The chances were one in a couple of billion and yet here the kid stood. It was happening and nothing would stop it. In fact the kid was going goofy already. “Come on kid you need to walk this off and you are in no shape to be left behind, not with those four goons after you.” Charlie took the kid my the arm and steered him toward the door. It was just like his luck, the kid was a natural familiar. Of all the places to find one.

His day had been one long shit and it wasn’t over yet, apparently. The four goons were following. Yeah he knew they would. He knew the score. They had marked the kid as their plaything for the night, but the kid had been bright enough to see it coming and had tried cozying up to the first alpha who smelled safe. Only thing was Charlie wasn’t an alpha, he was just undercover as one for the night. And of course when Charlie turned on the juice to the barroom, he found out to his surprise the kid was a familiar. And what an innocent the kid was, how did he end up in that dive. To make matters worse the kid was almost gushing with excitement now. The physical contact wasn’t helping matters, it was intensifying them. But Charlie couldn’t let go of him yet, not until he found a safe place to do so. Time was running out on that too it seemed, the goons were getting closer. They would voice a challenge soon. You just didn’t attack an alpha, even a supposed one, if you wanted to live. But you could kill an alpha in a properly worded challenge.

“Hey, that’s our pup you are walking off with and he didn’t get permission to leave.” Well someone was smarter than he looked, a beta then. Charlie stopped and turned with the kid still firmly in his grip.

“Why would he need your permission? He is under my protection. Besides this one is half in love with me, now. He would pine for me, if I left him behind.” Charlie let that sink in. Only a king alpha could enamor his pack.

“How come I don’t know you? How come you haven’t presented yourself to my alpha?” The beta continued his polite challenge.

“Grant and I have a private agreement. Pull out your cell and give him a call. Let him know you are talking to Charles.” Clearly this turn of events caught the beta my surprise. Obviously he wasn’t in the know as much as he thought he was, but he pulled his cell and hit speed dial. “Grant, I’m talking to this guy who says he has an agreement with you… He calls himself Charles… What?… Grant wants to talk to you.” The beta reluctantly stepped forward and handed over the cell.

“Charlie, why are you talking to my beta?” The amusement in the voice did not hid the implied threat. With Grant there was always threat even when you had him pinned to the bed.

“Well, I guess because I am stealing one of your pups… no he hasn’t been changed, I think tonight was going to be the big night. The kid came to me for protection… Yes, I know what this means… Okay, I will tell you later. Grant wants to talk to you now.”

Charlie handed the phone back and without pause turned his back and began walking away. God, the kid looked like he was going to squeal with happiness. Damn did I act this way the night Abraham found me. I am completely unprepared for this.

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A pleasure slave breed and raised for that one purpose and his master’s will. Shi had graced his master’s bed for one night only and now was a present on his way to the King’s stable. The caravan had been on route for two weeks when it was attacked by Berserkers. Shi was being dragged across the sand by an ugly brute of a bastard when he heard the horse coming hard down on them. The horse and rider flew by with a whoosh and suddenly Shi was free. He scrambled to his feet to find the bastard screaming and holding his arm, his hand was still attached to Shi’s arm. And suddenly Shi was flying into the air, only to find himself sitting in the lap of a man dressed in black. All Shi could see where two black eyes. But that was soon forgotten in the tide of power he felt flow from the man. The man kissed Shi’s forehead and turned his horse in a circle, while the man shouted out a curse on the heads of the Berserkers. Then they galloped off toward the setting sun to the sounds of screaming.

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With the kid safely inside his truck. Charlie took a moment to consider. This certainly changes everything.