“I swear I will send your hairy ass back to Narnia if you don’t back the fuck up,” Dex warned him, releasing the safety on his rifle.
“Ash!” Sloane’s reprimand went unheeded as Ash swiped at Dex. Lucky for Dex, Ash’s paw never made contact. Cael batted Ash’s paw away and hissed sharply, his ears flattened back as he swiped at Ash, catching him on the side of his big furry head. No blood was drawn, but Cael got his point across. Claws off his big brother.
Ash gave a start, letting out a mewl as he backed up. With a huff, he sat down, and Dex watched as Cael approached him and bumped his head under Ash’s chin then proceeded to lick him, which Ash seemed to enjoy, judging by his purring.
Dex jumped down and put the safety back on his gun, his glare on Ash before he shifted his gaze to his brother. “Cael, come on. Stop licking the dude. That’s gross.”
Letty let out a snort. “Please, like you don’t lick dudes.”
“That’s different,” Dex explained with a grimace. “None of those dudes were Ash. Besides, last time I checked, Ash was allergic to nuts.”
The rest of the team laughed before Tony clapped his hands and shooed the two Felids as if they were a couple of house cats. “Out you two. It’s getting too damn crowded in here.”
Letty opened the back doors for the two Felids who scrambled from the truck and leapt out, Rosa close behind, laughing at her partner. Outside Dex could see Cael and Ash play fighting, pouncing on each other, rolling around, and nipping at each other. It was kind of sweet. Calvin closed the BearCat’s back doors again and stood to one side.
“All right, let’s go, Hobbs.” Tony resumed his seat and Dex watched as Hobbs stepped into the large rectangle in nothing but a towel. He gave a solemn nod and the screen came down. Beside the screen, Calvin waited patiently. Dex notic
ed him wince when Hobbs cried out. It was low and rough, the only sound he’d heard from the guy in ages. He still hadn’t heard him speak.
Seconds later, there was a series of ferocious growls and the screen came up. Dex had to admit, he was impressed. Hobbs’s Therian form was very rare, a golden tabby tiger larger than the usual tiger Therian, with stripes and fur paler in color. His coloring made him more remarkable. Unlike his teammates, Hobbs silently padded to Calvin and rubbed his head against Calvin’s leg. With a warm smile, Calvin scratched Hobbs on the side of his head and the two quietly joined their teammates outside.
Well, only one left. Dex frowned at the butterflies in his stomach. This was silly. He didn’t get nervous when the rest of his team was shifting, why should he feel nervous now? Therians maintained their Humanity while in their Therian form, providing they had any Humanity to begin with, which was why psychopaths were more feral than the average Therian. It was also confirmed that in their Therian form, Human characteristics remained. An unhealthy Therian would be unhealthy both in Human and Therian form. Many Therians didn’t see it that way. They believed their animal form mirrored the soul of the Human side. Dex had never been very spiritual, but then he couldn’t explain why he was so nervous waiting to see his partner in his Therian form.
Sloane stood and cleared his throat, addressing Tony. “You mind giving us a minute?”
“Sure.” Tony gave Dex’s arm a pat before exiting the truck and joining the rest of the team.
“What’s up?” Dex studied his partner. “You’re not getting shy on me now, are you?”
“No, I need you to understand the severity of what’s going on here. This is going to be dangerous. You need to stick close to the team. Keep your eyes open, don’t make any sudden movements, and call for backup if you need it. Ash, Cael, and I will be busy tracking down Everton, so I won’t be able to save your ass. The last thing I need is for you—”
Dex held a hand up and cut him off. “You know what? Stop.”
“What?”
“I’m a rookie, I get it, but I don’t appreciate this Jekyll and Hyde thing you’ve got going on. One minute you’re good, the next minute you’re ready to take a swing at me. It’s your job to show me the ropes, not rip me a new one for doing something I haven’t even done yet. I’m your partner. You don’t have to like me, but you sure as hell have to respect me.”
Sloane blinked at him. “I… I had no idea I was coming off that way.” He pressed his lips together and gave him a nod. “You’re right. I haven’t been treating you with the respect you deserve. You’re a capable agent, and I’ve been letting my own insecurities cloud my judgment.”
“What are you talking about?” Insecurities? Dex couldn’t imagine Sloane Brodie being insecure about anything.
“After what happened to Gabe….” Sloane shook his head and that’s when it hit Dex.
“That’s why you’ve been acting like such a jerk every time we hit the streets? Because you’re worried about something happening to me?” Now that he thought about it, about what Gabe had actually meant to Sloane, it all made perfect sense, and after that media confrontation, Dex cursed himself for not being more attentive to his partner. He was quickly picking up on all of Sloane’s quirks and behaviors. It was true that his partner suffered from disturbing mood swings, but Dex was learning there was always a reason behind them. That pop about his partners not lasting certainly hadn’t helped.
“Not just you. I worry about everyone on my team.”
“I understand, but it’s not your job to babysit me and kiss my ouchies. You need to trust me. I might be a pain in the ass, but I know what I’m doing.” He watched Sloane carefully as his partner considered his words, his gaze somewhere off to the side. Dex didn’t know what was going through Sloane’s head at the moment, but he was relieved when Sloane met his gaze and held his hand out.
“Okay, but promise me you’ll stick to the formation and be careful. No acting like this is a Die Hard flick, okay? If I hear the words yippee ki-yay come out of your mouth, we’re going to have a serious problem.”
It was kind of scary how well Sloane was getting to know him. Dex took his hand and gave him a cheeky grin. “Deal. Seal it with a kiss?”
“Get out,” Sloane groaned. “You couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“Don’t know what you’re missing.” With a wink, Dex stood back, his arms folded over his chest.
“What?” Sloane eyed him warily as he started removing his clothes. “Stop looking at me like that. This isn’t a strip joint.”