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Not Pride by Sean Michael The woods near the cities smelled... off. Not like the strong loamy earth smell of the deep forest. Still, Syl had to admit he liked the touches of civilization that the town of Sufring afforded. And the fact that there was no pride here. He didn't belong to any pride and never would. He had no desire to either bow to an Alpha or put up with the crap of being one himself. He was a free spirit. A loose cat. His was the purrrrfect life. So he was understandably concerned when the Beast picked up the scent of Others on the air. He sniffed, followed the smells, growling low as the Others were elusive, moving away from him, teasing him. He followed their scent to a motel at the edge of town. Batting down the instinct to batter down the door, he knocked. "What do you want?" The voice was low and soft, the door not opening. "We don't want trouble." "Then you'd better open the door," he growled. Dammit, if the prides thought they could encroach on all the free places left in the world... A low growl answered him. "Go away." "Who is it, Nat?" Another voice, softer, sleepy. "No one important, love. He's going away." He growled menacingly, the Beast growing impatient. "I said open it." There were some low whispers, then the door cracked and a gold eye peered out. "What do you want?" The scent hit him hard, pure male, sex, sweet, hot. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "Let me in. Our business is best kept off the streets." "No. I'll meet you in another room. This one is mine." The male was slender, almost vibrating with worry, with tension. Oh, that was it. With a snarl, he pushed open the door, sending the man stumbling back. He left the door open behind him in case there were more than two and he needed to get out in a hurry. Gold eyes flashed and the man snapped at him, the beast just under control. "I'm not causing any harm." Syl growled low, in warning, eyes sweeping the room. "Where's the others?" He knew there were more than one, he'd heard this one talking and he could smell it, could smell the scent of at least two of them on the air, though it was strange, unlike any two he'd ever scented. "Others?" The room looked empty, even the clothes lying about were all obviously for the same man -- jeans and sweaters in greens and blues. He growled again, scenting the air, his instincts telling him no matter how different there was at least one more here. The man growled back, thin cheeked and pale, the long, pitch-black hair ruffled and on end. If he wasn't so riled up, Sylvan would have been enjoying the pretty boy, but he kept expecting someone to come slinking out of the shadows, ready to cut him down. The reek of pride was all over the room and it made him leery. "What're you doing here? There's no pride here." "We... I'm not looking for a pride. I'm traveling. Needed to rest. We're not pride." "We?" he asked, pouncing on the slip. He knew it. "Me." The man shivered, pacing a little. He slowly moved around the young one, for this one was younger than him, there was no doubt of it. "Oh, no. You definitely said 'we'." "Did I?" The young one shifted away, rumbling in warning. He nodded, purring. Oh, he was beginning to enjoy this game. Might even enjoy being pounced. He took a step out of the slow circle he'd been traveling, nose back in the air. "I see that you and your companion like games. Hide and seek has always been one of my favorites." He headed slowly toward the beds in the middle of the room. "Here kitty, kitty." A low fierce growl sounded, the young one moving so fast to intercept him. "You leave him alone." He raised an eyebrow. "So you aren't alone, after all." "Nat..." He blinked as an exact double of the young one before him slid from under the bed. "Make him go away." |
