Love Hurts (Eternal Flames Book 12) Read online

  Spike started chattering so fast, Timmy knew the guy was upset. Charlie quickly interpreted, “He said York will never let him go to Flyer. He’ll want Spike to wait and he doesn’t want to wait. He needs to be with his mate to protect him.”

  “I can’t lie to Yorkie,” Timmy said thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled wide. “But I can get Bullseye to take us to the hangar. I can explain everything to Flyer and he’ll want to help. I just have to come up with a reason to go with Bullseye.”

  Spike chattered, and Charlie said, “He hopes you’re right. He has to do something because he doesn’t want to lose his mate.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Flyer had already checked the fuel reader, fuel selector, and flaps of his pride and joy, his Cessna CitationJet/M2. It was rare that he got to fly her, with most of their missions needing his helicopter, but he was happy for this recon mission, so he could use his baby. She was a beauty and such a dream to fly. He was just starting to check electricals, when he heard Bullseye pulling up into the hanger. Stepping out of the airplane, Flyer shouted out, “It’s about fucking time. Were you planning on helping when I was in the air?”

  “Ha ha, asshole! I just got off from graves and was getting my beauty sleep when Timmy woke me. I had to do the three “S’s” because I knew you’d want me at my best,” Bullseye shouted back.

  Flyer tossed his towel under the plane, then laid on his creeper seat and rolled under the belly to check the landing gear and shell, saying, “Shit, you just want to make sure if any hot guys come along, you’re ready to please.”

  “You know it,” Bullseye said with a laugh.

  Reaching out, Flyer searched for his towel when he hissed, pulled back and automatically tried to sit up, smacking his head. “Son of a bitch!”

  Rubbing his head and pushing himself out from under the plane, Flyer turned to see Spike waddling towards him. “Damn it, Spike! How many times have I told you to stop fucking following me? Every damn time you come around, I get hurt in some way or fashion and I’m getting damn well tired of it!”

  Spike made a wailing sound and rushed away. The sound was so pitiful Flyer felt like a real asshole. “Spike, I’m sorry.”

  “Damn dude, that was kind of harsh,” Bullseye said.

  Sighing heavily and making his way out from under the plane, Flyer said, “I know. It’s just that every time he comes around I’m smacking my head, having my ass poked, my dick threatened, or damn near breaking my leg and neck falling in the shower. It’s just all the damn time. I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. I overreacted because that fucking hurt like hell.”

  Flyer saw Timmy holding Spike, whispering softly to the little porcupine. Letting out a deep breath, Flyer started towards them and heard Timmy saying, “It’s okay, Spike. He didn’t mean it. I’ve roosted around many humans and have always noticed when they’re fixing something, they often cuss and yell at people, especially men. Heck just the other day, Bullseye pushed Sylux off the roof when they were trying to fix the resting pad.”

  “That’s because Sylux was being an ass about how he could fly circles around me, so I tossed him off the side of the house and told him to get to flying then. How the hell was I to know he wouldn’t open his wings,” Bullseye defended.

  Flyer placed his hand on Spike’s head and carefully petted him. “I’m sorry I upset you. What are you two doing here anyway?”

  Timmy gripped Spike and shoved him into Flyer’s face. “Kiss him.”

  Flyer stepped back, laughing, “I’m not kissing your pet.”

  Timmy stepped closer wiggling Spike side to side. “If you kiss him he will stop being a pest. You’ll fall in love and—”

  Holding up his hand, stopping the tiny gargoyle in his tracks, Flyer replied, “I am not now, nor am I ever, kissing a porcupine. My luck, one of his quills will take out my eye. Now knock it off and put him in the truck.”

  Timmy’s smile dropped, as he said, “But the princess kissed the frog, so why won’t you kiss a porcupine?”

  “Yeah, Flyer, why won’t you kiss the porcupine?” Bullseye asked sounding like a five-year-old.

  “Shut up, Bullseye and do the interior check,” Flyer yelled out, then turned back to Timmy. “Is there something else you needed, Timmy, because I’m really busy here? I don’t have a lot of time.”

  “You have to bring Spike with you,” Timmy said, holding the porcupine in Flyer’s face again.

  Flyer backed up, shaking his head. “I already told you I don’t have time for a pet and if I were to go insane and take Spike with me, I’d end up crashing in enemy territory before I ever got to my destination. Now, take Spike and go home, Timmy. I really have to get this done so I can get on my way.”

  When Timmy’s eyes saddened, Flyer felt like a brute. Giving one last pat on Spike’s head, Flyer could have sworn the little guy looked just as despondent.

  Hearing another vehicle pull up, Flyer wasn’t surprised to see York pulling up with Suneth. It seemed wherever Timmy was, York wasn’t far behind. However, he was a bit taken back with Suneth’s arrival, until the man got out carrying a basket, saying, “Hey, Flyer. Wade had Twix fix you up some food for your trip.” Then he held up a large thermos. “And Wade said to give you this or you would never make it off the runway.”

  Flyer smiled taking the thermos. “Thanks, Suneth. Wade’s right, I’m no good without my coffee, and please tell Twix thanks for the food, I’m sure it will be great.”

  Looking towards Timmy, he could see he and York were in a heavy discussion. Flyer didn’t know what was being said, but it was clear York had not known his mate was coming to the hangar. He didn’t have the hearing of a shifter, but he did hear Timmy, saying, “Mates need to be together.”

  Timmy walked away from York and took the food basket from Suneth. “I can put this in the plane, Sunny.”

  Smiling, Suneth handed the basket to him. “Thank you, Timmy.”

  Checking his watch, Flyer could see that he had to finish his preflight checks and get out of there. Time was not on his side.

  Going to his computer, Flyer checked the weather patterns and noticed there was a small storm building in his current path.

  “Is there a problem, Flyer?” Suneth asked.

  Shaking his head, Flyer replied, “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. There’s a storm in my flightpath. I might have to change course if it worsens.”

  “Well, just be careful and keep in touch. I love my mate, but he can drive a saint insane when he’s concerned about one of the members of his team,” Suneth replied, with a pat to Flyer’s back.

  Flyer laughed. “You forget I practically live at your home, Suneth. I’ve seen how you are with regards to your own men.”

  Suneth laughed. “True, very true. Just don’t put yourself in any unnecessary danger, Flyer. If this trip doesn’t pan out, we can always try again another time.”

  “Don’t worry about me. All I have to do is fly over the location, take some pictures, and come back so we can see what we’re up against. If these guys are behind the attempts on my team’s life, then I want them to pay,” Flyer stated.

  “I still think you should take one of my men or one of your own with you. I don’t like you going it alone,” Suneth stated.

  “You guys need to focus on the man attacking the citizens of Crystal and Maddox. I’ll be fine. They have no clue I’m coming and even if they did, I’m high in the sky and not where they can touch me,” Flyer replied, then turned in time to see Timmy getting into York’s truck. Thank goodness he was going and taking the poky little puppy with him. He hated the sad look on the little gargoyle’s face, but he wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t have time for a pet, and even if he did, it would be a dog or something, not a porcupine.

  Bullseye walked over to him, holding out his hand. “Everything looks great. Take it easy and stay alert, Flyer. If these guys figure out what we’re doing, you could run into some problems.”

  Flyer shook hands with his buddy. “I’m n
ot going to dust their crops, Bull. I’m going to do a nice fly over, take some pictures, and get the hell out of there. Now, I need to ask a favor of you. I know it’s going to sound insane, but can you keep an eye on Spike for me. I know he’s not like you, but he really is a smart animal and I feel like I’m doing something wrong here.”

  Bull looked at Flyer curiously. “What do you mean?”

  Sighing, Flyer whispered, “I know I come off as a prick when it comes to Spike, but I really like the little bugger. He’s cute as hell, and even if he is an animal, it’s kinda nice to feel like your someone’s everything.”

  “Are you saying you feel a pull towards Spike?” Bull asked sounding curious, not disgusted.

  Shrugging, Flyer replied, “I don’t know what that means, but it’s just sitting wrong with me to leave the bugger looking so sad. I don’t understand it myself, but he’s kind of grown on me, you know?”

  Bull looked at Suneth, then back to Flyer looking thoughtful, as he muttered, “Interesting.” Bull then nodded and smacked Flyer on the shoulder, “I’ll watch out for him. You watch out for you.”

  Flyer smiled. “Very nice. Okay, well I’d better take off. Tell Wade I’ll contact him if there are any problems. You guys be careful with the attacker you’re trying to catch. He’s a sick fuck and I don’t want to come back to find out one of my buds has been hurt.”

  Climbing into the plane and closing the door, Flyer made his way to the pilot’s seat, tossing his flight jacket behind his chair. Bull removed the blocks from the wheels while Flyer flicked and pressed what he needed to, and then put his headset on. The plane came to life, and Flyer was ready to taxi out of the hanger.

  “Tower, this is Cessna 208 holding short of runway four,” Flyer said into his mike.

  “Cessna 208, this is tower, taxi to runway zero four via one two. Cross runway three.”

  Flyer followed their instructions and soon found himself facing the long runway, ready to go. Hearing something rattle in the back, Flyer turned to see if something was loose when the control tower came on with his clearance. “Cessna 208 cleared for takeoff, runway zero four.”

  Knowing he needed to get this show on the road, Flyer decided to check things out after he was in the air. “Cleared for takeoff runway zero four, Cessna 208,” Flyer replied back, pushing forward on the throttle.

  Once Flyer was in the air and given his altitude by air traffic control, he smiled. God he loved flying. There was nothing like it. Some pilots got tired of being alone, and yes, it could be lonely sometimes, but Flyer didn’t mind, not when he had the most wonderous views any man, woman, or child could ask for. The sea of cotton clouds below him, the sun setting in front of him, and the orangish red sky surrounding him were absolutely breathtaking. It was like being part of something only a select few were gifted with.

  He had been flying for quite a while, when he heard a noise from the back again.

  “Damn, I completely forgot to go see what was loose back there.”

  Putting the auto pilot on, Flyer undid his belt, removed his headset and went to go see what was making the noise. He didn’t see anything at first and then his eyes landed on the thermos of coffee Suneth had brought to him. “That must have been rolling around.”

  Grabbing the thermos, Flyer went back to his seat, readjusted his headset and fastened his belt, then removed the portable cup, popped the top, and poured himself a generous amount of coffee. He was setting the thermos down next to him when something sharp stabbed him and squealed at the same time.

  Flyer jolted in alarm, tossing his coffee over the comms controls. Sparks popped, and lights flickered. “Shit!” Flyer knew exactly what—or should he say who, had startled him. “This is Cessna 208 I need to make a detour landing.”

  “Ce…na 2…, wh…prob…”

  “Control, I seem to have a problem with my comms system. Requesting landing at nearest runway.”

  Once the control tower gave him his new headings, Flyer turned to see Spike looking at him with innocent eyes. “Oh, don’t even, you pincushion. You really did it this time. When I get done fixing this shit you just caused, you’re going to be lucky if you don’t become roadkill.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Spike was sick of hiding in the basket. Timmy had snuck him inside, saying, “Stay quiet. When you guys are in the air, and things seem calm enough, then come out and make your move.”

  Nodding, Spike hunkered down, not moving or making a sound. He had almost blown it when he had peeked out during takeoff to make sure everything was okay with his mate. Flyer had great hearing for a human, because he had turned just as Spike ducked back down.

  Knowing he needed to be patient, Spike had settled in and closed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep, because it was getting darker in the plane, indicating the sun was going down. Slowly and carefully, Spike made his way out of the basket, unable to stop the lid from smacking back down when he had wiggled out.

  Flyer turned, just as Spike scurried out of sight and under Flyer’s flight jacket. Once his mate had done whatever he was doing, Spike watched him return to his seat and settle in. Spike was making his way to the man, when out of nowhere, a heavy metal tube was smacked on his head, making his quills rise in defense and him screaming out in pain. Sparks zapped him from somewhere, and Spike knew he had screwed up again.

  Flyer was pissed, requesting to land and saying he was going to make him roadkill. Soon enough they were back on the ground.

  Flyer was under the control panel, cussing and talking a mile a minute, “I don’t get you, Spike. I mean seriously, are you trying to kill me? How the hell did you even get on the plane?” Flyer pushed out from under the panel, grabbed another tool, shaking it at Spike, hissing, “I bet it was Timmy. He snuck you on my plane after I clearly said you couldn’t come with me. What the hell is wrong with the little gargoyle? Well let me tell you, I am going to have a long talk with him and York when I get back.”

  Spike shouted, “No, it wasn’t his fault, it was mine. Don’t be mad at Timmy. He was only trying to help.” But all that came out were squeaks, hisses, and chatter.

  Flyer poked his head out, saying, “I may not understand what the hell you’re saying, but don’t. You know coming on this mission was wrong, Spike. You know I didn’t want you here. Yet you constantly defy my wishes. Now look at where we are. I’m a day behind and now I have to reroute my flight plan because of the storm, try and fix the comms system and the damn GPS, and pray that when I do get to where we’re going, the pricks haven’t left or already unloaded their stash. Why? Why do you keep doing these things?”

  “Because you’re my mate and I need you to kiss me and turn me back into my human self,” Spike quickly replied, but yet again it only came out as nonsensical chatter to Flyer.

  “Don’t try and make excuses. You know what you did was wrong,” Flyer stated, then huffed and went back under the panel. “Listen to me talking to a damn porcupine like you understand what I’m saying. I swear I’m going to end up as one of Ethan’s patients if I keep up this shit.”

  Spike sighed, he hated that his mate was so upset with him. He hated that he couldn’t make Flyer understand what he was trying to tell him. He hated Danior Boswell for doing this to him in the first place.

  Flyer came out from the control panel, wiped his hands saying, “I’ve done what I can, and there isn’t time to do much more. The comms are unreliable, and the GPS is trashed until I can get a new part. None of which they have here. I am going to refuel, grab something to eat and get my ass back in the sky if I can fool the tower into thinking things are fine.”

  Flyer tossed his tools back in the box and Spike followed him to the back of the plane to stash the toolbox. “I still can’t believe there isn’t a working phone in this little ass town. And how the hell do these people live without cell service? Wade is going to kick my ass for being so late in contacting him and the guys.”

  Spike followed Flyer as he returned to the pilot seat, and Flyer looke
d down at him. “Now what do I do with you?”

  Spike felt his quills rise in fear. What if his mate left him here? He would have no way to get back to Timmy or his mate.

  Flyer sighed, stood up, muttering, “Stop looking at me with those big, sad eyes. Besides, if I left you here York would kill me.”

  York? What does York have to do with anything? Spike wondered.

  Flyer looked at Spike again, saying, “Yes, York. Timmy would be so upset with me that York would kill me for making his little mate cry. Not to mention every one of Suneth’s men. So, I guess I have no choice. You are going with me, but you will stay where I put you or so help me, Spike, I will toss your ass out of the plane and take my chances with all of Crystal if I have to.”

  Spike felt his heart sour until Flyer said, “But when we get back, I’m taking you to Timmy and if either of you try something like this again, I’ll…I’ll—Well, I have no clue what I’ll do, but it won’t be good.”

  A few hours later, Spike sat in the copilot seat watching Flyer chomp down on his roast beef sandwich. His tummy rumbled reminding him it has been at least a day since he last had a meal and Gods, he was hungry.

  Spike jumped when Flyer smacked the control panel, snapping, “Damn comms still won’t work since we left the airport. Wade is going to kick my ass.”

  Spike could see a wooden piece that Flyer used for his wheels after he landed, and his tummy rumbled once more. It looked so tasty. Spike bet it was pine. He loved pine wood. It had such an earthy taste and—”

  Spike started to wiggle to the side of the seat when Flyer asked in a muffled tone, “Where do you think you’re going? Get your butt back on that seat where I put you.”

  Whimpering in hunger, Spike wiggled back to the seat and looked at his mate, munching away on that sandwich.

  Flyer put his hand in the basket of food, and Spike licked his lips at the tasty container. It looked like willow, smelled like willow, and Spike really loved willow. He loved willow almost as much as he loved pine and birch and—Oh, by the Gods, he was hungry.