Page 1 of Bonded

Chapter 1

Moon phase: waxing: 3 days to the full moon

“Kat, will you get your ass outta that damn bathroom? The cab’s here and we’re waitin’!” Checking the time on his watch, Digby sighs, “You know, that’s the third time I’ve called her. What the hell’s she doin’ in there? Seriously man, how can it take one person so long to get themselves ready?”

“Well, to be fair, she hasn’t had that long. You were in there quite a while. What? Hey… don’t look at me like that, I’m just statin’ facts.” Zak stops pacing and cocks his eyebrow. “And seriously man, how much damn aftershave are you wearin’?”

“Yeah, well, with the full moon comin’, I didn’t want my scent attractin’ too much attention, so figured I’d try’n cover it somehow. Hell, it don’t matter, it’s not like Kat can smell it. She’s got some implant thing goin’ on—means she can’t smell a damn thing.”

“Seriously? An implant?” Zak frowns. “Hell, that’s gotta mess with your wolf’s senses, right?”

Digby nods as the honk of a horn grabs their attention and checking outside from the window he and Zak can see Darius glaring at them from where he’s sat waiting in one of the cabs.

The guys all live near to each other in a quiet cul-de-sac on the base. Bud with QT, Oz with Zak, and Darius by himself in a much larger, two-story house just around the corner in a secluded location where some of the senior commanders live.

“You know, maybe we should go wait outside? It might stop him from goin’ completely nuts?” Zak sighs as he checks again and sees Darius now jabbing a finger at his watch, gesturing for them to hurry. “QT, get the hell up! Hey, wait a minute, you’re not taking that damn book with you… Give it to me.” He snatches the leather-bound book from his hand and turns it over to look at the cover. “What the fuck is this, anyway? Dr. Culpepper’s… what? The occult… what? What in God’s name is this voodoo claptrap, it looks like it’s a thousand years old but more to the point, where the hell did you get it?”

“P-please Z-Zak… g-g-give it back. K-Kat l-lent it to me.”

“Kat gave you this? Right, well that’s just great. Now we got two fuckin’ nerds on the team.” He sighs and tosses it onto the chair. “Where the hell does she get shit like this, anyway?”

“Don’t ask me.” Digby shrugs. “I don’t know. What can I say… she likes books. Hell, she has a tonne of them in her office, most the damn thrift store would turn away,” he laughs. “Oh, but she does have this really cool dagger, God knows what it’s for. But as for the books, I have no idea. She had some old thing arrived today, ‘History of hypnotism’ I think it was called, but I don’t have a damn clue what it was about. Kat…” he yells again. “Seriously, you’re gonna need to speed it up or Darius is gonna bust a blood vessel.”

Oz gets up from the couch and taps him on the shoulder. “Listen, Zak’s right, we’ll go wait outside. Oh, and Diggs don’t forget to tell her she looks nice.”

“Nice? Well, she should look nice after spending all thisdamntime in there.”

“Diggs, it’s what you’re supposed to do. You know when you’re actually seein’ someone—in a relationship, you tell them they look… Fuuu—k me!” Zak’s jaw drops and the guys all turn around staring with the same open-mouthed look, as Kat appears in the hallway.

Digby gasps and his cock stiffens; he’s at a complete loss for words and his eyes pop as he stares at her outfit—black jumpsuit, with a V-front. Slit to an inch above her navel—the draped panels of the bodice are barely enough to cover her ample cleavage, and the fabric desperately clings to her nipples for support. Centered between her breasts is a long white-gold chain with a small dagger pendant that glints in the light.

Tipping her head, she flicks her softly curled hair to one side. “So… How do I look? Do I meet your criteria; ‘clubby’but not trendy and not like a boy?” She twists from side to side, seeking approval.

Digby struggles to express his emotions and hesitates to answer—the hard, swollen bulge in his pants is his only visible sign of approval. “Uh, you… You uh… You looknice.”

“Nice?” She cocks an eyebrow at his lack of complimentary words, and he can tell from her icy stare that he’s really annoyed her. “What the fuck is ‘nice’ supposed to mean? I look ‘nice’? Really, that’s the best you can come up with? You know I don’t know why the hell I bothered.”

“I thought that’s what you wanted me to say?” Digby’s confused. “Sorry, but Oz said I should say—”

“Diggs… Shut the hell up, man.” Oz groans as he slaps him across the chest. “Let’s just go get in the damn cab. Hell… sometimes I wonder how you ever get any women to like you. Kat, you look fantastic.”

“Aww… Thanks, Oz,” she smiles.

“So, you gotta purse or anythin’ else you need to get, or are you actually ready to go now?” Digby scowls.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on buying any drinks, so do I need one? I mean, you’re the one taking me out, remember. So I figure you’re paying, right?” she grins. Then she sees the look on his face. “Oh, don’t worry, I was joking. Geez, lighten up.”

Digby’s confused. He never normally has all these issues to deal with when taking a woman out. But if he’s being honest, he hasn’t got past the want of his cock and is considering abandoning the club altogether and just staying home to fuck.

Collecting up her phone and small clutch, Kat click-clacks in her black strap heels down the path to the waiting cabs.

Oz, Bud, and QT jump into the second of the cars as Zak takes a seat in the lead car where Darius has been impatiently waiting. He sits up and straightens the front of his immaculately pressed burgundy shirt and curses about their timekeeping.

Kat watches Digby follow down the path, and without a word, she gets into the second car—seating herself next to QT.

Bud throws a look of concern at Oz. “Uh, pretty much sure you’re uh, supposed to go in the other car.”

“Why? Does it matter how I get there? We’re all going to the same place, so why worry?”

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