Page 29 of Tentacles for Christmas

The voice was sadly familiar, and I knew a second person with a matching face would be nearby. Pushing Cam behind me, I turned to find the McTaryn twins between us and the row of bikes. From the other side of the lake, they rode as well, but the McTaryns were not in my club.

“Funny joke. It’s Rowen to you, not Red. We only went to school together for a decade,” I replied dryly. “Also, I don’t have any fins.”

One of the twins—I never could tell Zed and Zac apart—rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Whatever,Red Fin.” His speech was slurred as he laughed at his own joke, and I had to wonder if they’d driven while high, drunk or both. Their family was rumored to be drug dealers, and their motorcycle club were firmly one-percenters.

“And I’m not a boy,” Cam piped up from around my shoulder. While I admired their bravery, there was something Cam didn’t know.

The McTaryns were bear shifters, and they were dangerous.

Chapter nineteen

Cam

KissingRowenwasdifferentthan with anyone else. We hadn’t been seeing each other for long—a week, really— but there was a level of intimacy and trust I wasn’t sure I’d ever had before. On a deep level, I trusted him.

Even knowing people would talk if we left early, I was ready to ask Rowen how much longer the event would be, and if we could make an early exit to go back to my place. Or his place, I wasn’t picky.

With Rowen’s tentacles being able to hold me up and maneuver me around, we didn’t even need a bed. Could we have sex on his motorcycle?

Then some rude hicks interrupted us.

The two redheads were obviously brothers, and looked like identical twins—except one had a scar on his face. Unlike Rowen’s long, rich, auburn hair, their copper heads looked like they got a haircut from a weedwhacker. Behind them, I saw two dirty motorcycles parked illegally behind Rowen’s, partially blocking the road.

They were also greasy.

Not like how King or Clark Finley came in with engine grease under their nails, and sometimes smeared on their faces. These two were greasy like a politician you know is cruel to animals.

One of them referred to me as Rowen’s boy toy, and I snapped. I shouldn’t have assumed I could come out as non-binary to strangers in a small town, but Blue Lake had been so welcoming.

My words to contradict the assholes were met with laughter and pointing.Sigh. So mature. I was ready to take Rowen’s hand and walk away, but my man went stiff when one of the twins stepped towards me.

“Are you a girl, then? Want to give my dick a try?” The scarred one slurred lasciviously, even more under the influence than his brother. “Bet it’s better than fins. Can he even fuck you?”

A woman nearby gasped and covered the ears of a child, who was thankfully hidden behind her. I hoped she thought the jerk said Rowen’s name was ‘Fin’ and didn’t catch his meaning.

Leaning around Rowen’s arm as the woman walked away with the child in her arms, I whispered, “He’seighttimes the man you are, creep.”

The unscarred man lunged forward, as if to avenge the insult to his brother’s honor, but he was slower than whoever blocked his path. Leather-covered shoulders and dark, curly hair stopped the man short. The logo on the back of his jacket told me who it was: Enforcer of the King Pack Motorcycle club.

“Back off, Zac,” Rowen’s friend Ricky held up his hands but didn’t touch Zac. I knew he was currently the bartender in town, who did tattoos on the side, but he’d previously been a professional MMA fighter. Hopefully these douche canoes would listen.

Rel, a firefighter and the Vice President of their club, stepped up beside Ricky, crossing his arms and blocking scar-face from skirting around Ricky.

“You want to protect this? Are you all queer now?” Zac asked, spitting his words. He clearly meant queer as an insult, but I was happy to reclaim the word as part of my identity.

“So what if we are?” Rowen’s dad appeared beside Rel, creating a wall of muscle between us and the interlopers.

Rowen stiffened in front of me, and I wondered if this was his dad being an ally or something more. As far as I knew from what Rowen told me, Clark Finley had never dated anyone. My first instinct was to assume he was just being a good dad and person. Before I could think too hard on it, King rushed over to stand beside Ricky.

“Are you saying you and Zed got beat by a bunch of queers?” King drawled, raising an eyebrow.

Zac sputtered and glanced at his brother. I laughed at the fact these guys were named Zac and Zed, but also wondered where Zed got his scar. Rowen told me there were mostly wolf shifters, and I had to wonder if ‘King Pack’ was literal.

If the club was an actual wolf pack, what did that make these two? I remembered something about bear and coyote shifters and took in their tall height, broad shoulders, and fuzzy knuckles. Were they shifters?

“Fuck you,” Zed replied with zero wit. He grabbed his brother’s shoulder and backed up. “They don’t even have liquor. Let’s get out of here.”

“Buh-bye,” Riley piped up, with Channing giving them two middle fingers. I hadn’t noticed their approach, but they stood up to the bullies on equal footing with the men.