Of shifters and mates

On the prowl

The steady peeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the sterile hospital room. I sat in a chair at my father’s bedside, starring out of the window and absentmindedly stroking his hair. After they brought him in the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him… he just wouldn’t wake up. It was late already and visiting hours would soon be over. It hadn’t even been a day and I was… devastated. My whole live I only had my father, when I was younger he was my world, I had been a daddy’s boy. Hell, he even was my first crush… not that I would admit that to anyone but Lisa, and it wasn’t even in a weird way! I just wanted to be like him and to be by his side as long as possible. Way back than I already knew that I would take over whatever work he did – I didn’t know back than what exactly he did every day.

When I heard a knock on the door I turned around to see my best friend standing there with tears in her big doe eyes. Her black, slightly curled hair was fixed in a messy bun atop her head. The next moment she was by my side, her slender arms securely wrapped around my shoulders, while sobs shook her little form. I sneaked my free arm around her and finally felt safe enough to let go myself. We cried, holding each other, no one wanted to let go first, but one of us had to… it was her. Straitening herself, she wiped away the remaining tears and rubbed her eyes, sniffling still. Once she had regained her composure she stared at me with a determined expression.

“We’re going out tonight.”

“What?! No! My dad is in the hospital and you want me to go party?! Are you crazy?”

“Maybe. But really… Ry, you need to take your mind off of this AND I found this cool club just for people like you a little outside the city.”

“Oh boy… can’t you just say it? A gay bar. You found a gay bar. I don’t mind you saying it.”

“I know, it’s just… your dad doesn’t know jet, does he?”

“No, but he’s still asleep.” I was silent for a moment, searching my dad for traces of awakening… there were none. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Before I forget it” –she pulled something from her pocket – “the new flyers are here, so we can drum the business.”

+-+-+

The club wasn’t anything like I imagined it – it was so much better. Lights flashed in various colours; green, blue, turquois, yellow, red orange, pink, violet and a few I couldn’t name. After we left the hospital Lisa dragged me all the way home and into my room and all but threw the stuff she saw fit onto me. Honestly, she had style. I ended up wearing a black button-up with a green dragon printed on the back and a much smaller one on the breast pocket and a pair of washed out tight fitting jeans.

The music vibrated through me, through the dance floor, the ceiling; it felt like a heartbeat. The club was alive and the people enjoyed it with every last fibre. I could see people, men, openly grinding against each other at the dance floor, or just having fun alone, flirting at the bar or hanging with friends in one of the booths in the rear part of the club. There were all kinds of men; from twinks to sugar-daddies and fucking hulks, there were openly open gays – you know those who really just go overboard with it – and the type that makes you think ‘I’d never in a life time guessed’.

I sat at the bar alone – Lisa was on the dancefloor, enjoying herself by dancing without being hit on. When we first entered we immediately asked if we could leave them some flyers and they let us, as soon as they heard the name of the café; as it seems the owner of the bar is a regular. To say I was thrilled would be the biggest understatement ever told. I even got a drink on the house… well a coke, but it was something. I took a sip and enjoyed the view until I heard a chuckle from my right. A normal human maybe wouldn’t have heard it, but I used my ability to take on the traits of my soul animal – here and now I used it to improve my sight and hearing. When I turned my face my coke almost slipped through my fingers. He. Was. Fucking. Perfect! The man was somewhere in his twenties, so much I could tell; he wore a simple baby blue dress shirt, with the first two buttons undone, a dark-blue and black stripped tie, the two colours segmented by thin white lines, loosely hanging around his neck. His slacks were black, but they couldn’t hide anything. His hair had a dark brown colour, with a tinge of red. But the best of all were his eyes, these wonderful midnight orbs. I felt as if I was swallowed by a starless night, just sucked right in and something snapped inside me. His eyes laughed and I blinked, I wanted to know why.

“What?” I had to raise my voice to make myself understandable.

“I asked if you’re not a little too young to be manhunting.” Instead of raising his voice the man had lent forward and spoke directly into my ear; his deep rumbling baritone made my nether regions twitch. I swear I started purring at this point, quite literally, glad the music was so loud, and I just couldn’t help it and smiled like the cat that got the cream. Even though I haven’t got it YET.

“Don’t worry, handsome, I’m legal.” I didn’t even feel bad lying – I fucking wanted him and I wouldn’t have protested if he just laid me on the counter and pounded my brains out. Hell, if he keeps laughing like that I might do it myself!

“Benjamin”, he proclaimed, thrusting his hand in my direction.

“Ben, is it.” I grinned shaking his hand once, but he didn’t let go, when I tried to pull back.

“May I know your name as well?” God, his eyes… his gaze was so intense.

“Maybe… if you buy me a drink.”

“Hmmm… okay, what do you want?” I loved winning.

“Whatever you see fits, Ben.” When he grinned I could see that his teeth were pearly white and shining. My breath stuck when he suddenly lifted my hand, which he still held firmly to his lips and blew a kiss over my knuckles. I could feel my body vibrate with my purring. I was highly disappointed when he let go and gestured for the bartender.

“One Islay whisky and an appletini for the sweetheart here.”

“Riley. The name’s Riley.”