Without Reservations

came to my house last night.”
    “Your house? You have a house, honey?” His mother seemed surprised, but…proud?
    “Son, I don’t like this. Aubrey called us just last week and told us that the detective still hadn’t found you. Why would he do that?” His dad sounded worried and confused all at once.
    “Chay?” Keaton looked like he didn’t know what to do. He started trembling.
    Chay took the phone and pulled Bit to his chest, making him rest his head on Chay’s shoulder. “Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds?”
    “Who is this?” Howard demanded.
    “Chayton Winston, sir. I’m Bi…Keaton’s mate.”
    Bit’s mother gasped.
    “Well. I… Uh, hello, Mr. Winston. I’m Howard Reynolds, Keaton’s father.”
    “Hello, Mr. Reynolds. Listen, we are having some issues here. There have been three attempts made on Keaton’s life.”
    “What?” Howard thundered.
    “My God! Is he all right? Keaton?” Bit’s mother’s voice trembled.
    Chay frowned. These honestly did not sound like two people who wanted their son dead. But they had kicked Keaton out of their lives for being gay. What the fuck? “Keaton’s fine. Listen, Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds.
    The reason we called is…well…” Shit. How did he put this? “I thought you kicked Keaton out? I thought you disowned him?”
    “We did not,” Mrs. Reynolds shouted.
    “Keaton is the one who left.” Keaton’s dad sounded offended. “We had a slight misunderstanding, but we never disowned him. I admit, we were www.samhainpublishing.com 203
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    not happy with some of the choices he made, but Keaton is the one who disappeared out of our lives. We thought he needed time to think, so we let him be. When he up and disappeared after graduation, that is when we realized he was more than just mad. I assure you, Mr. Winston—”
    Keaton rolled his eyes, his shoulders slumping.
    “Whoa. Say no more. I know Bit…er, Keaton quite well. I know what a temper he has. I understand.” Or at least he thought he did. He wasn’t sure why Bit’s parents hadn’t gone after him, when after several months he hadn’t contacted them, but he did know how hardheaded Keaton could be. “And please call me Chay.”
    Chay talked to Bit’s parents for several more minutes, then Keaton talked to them some more. By the time the conversation ended, Chay felt fairly certain Aubrey hadn’t acted on the consent of his parents. But he had to have the help of another wolf, the one who cut Keaton’s brake line.
    Keaton said goodbye to his parents and hung up the phone. Sitting back with a sigh, he looked Chay right in the eye. “Looks like we are going to Georgia.”
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    Without Reservations

Chapter Twenty
    Keaton was in their room packing. His and Chay’s phone
    conversation with his parents kept playing over and over in his head.
    His parents had insisted he come home so they could get to the bottom of things. After explaining the entire situation to them, they even suspected Aubrey. Keaton was just plain stunned. He’d gone from having been disowned to fawned over and chastised for disappearing. And damned if his parents and Chay hadn’t all three turned the incident into a lesson, admonishing Keaton for his temper and his “too independent”
    ways.
    Pushing Pita out of the way for the fiftieth time, Keaton closed the lid on his suitcase.
    Chay came in with Remi on his heels. “You damned sure are coming with us.” Chay tossed a smaller empty bag, to be filled with toiletries, on the mattress.
    “Why?” Remi sat on the bed. Immediately, Pita pounced over to him.
    Digging through the nightstand, Chay heaved the we’ve-been-over-this-already sigh. “Because you don’t have enough control to be on your own yet. What happens if you get ticked off at someone and turn into a wolf?”
    Remi blinked, looking startled. “Seriously?”
    Keaton nodded. “Seriously. You’ve already had your eyes shift twice over breakfast. What if we weren’t there to talk you through it?”
    “I’d have continued to shift?” Absently, Remi petted Pita.
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    Opening the toiletries case, Chay dropped in four bottles of lube.
    “Exactly.” He stalked to the adjoining bathroom.
    Keaton frowned and took out three bottles of lube, putting them back in the nightstand drawer. He headed for the dresser for Chay’s underwear and socks. “We aren’t trying to be assholes and run your life.
    We just don’t want you to get