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with their fire. The Spider began to list one way,
than the other, before it collapsed to its knees. That
still didn t make Lawson and the others let up.
Finally, the Spider give one last shudder before
it exploded. Lawson ducked, but he still got
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Stephani Hecht
covered in guts, blood, and other pieces of Spider
gore. And people said his job wasn t glamorous.
Ha! What did they know?
Fuck! Carson shouted. I feel like an
ingredient in Spider stew. Seriously, this is so
screwed up in so many ways. This was my
favorite pair of leathers, too.
Stop your whining, Shane shot back. You
can wash them.
Maybe, but they ll never be the same again.
They ll always have that lingering stench of Spider
on them. Damn that fucker.
What did you expect it to do? Just vaporize
away? Lawson asked.
I don t know. I sure as hell didn t expect it to
go up like an atomic fucking bomb.
Haven t you ever fought Spiders before?
Lawson asked.
Shane smirked. No, until lately this little baby
has been safely tucked away in the IT room. Now
that he has to come out to play with the big boys,
he s not liking it.
Screw you, Shane, Carson snapped.
Lawson didn t know what Shane s response to
that would have been because another Spider
jumped in front of them. This one was much
larger and aggressive than the last. It turned to
them with its bright, red, glowing eyes, bared its
overly large fangs, and let out a lout hiss.
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The Defeat of Lawson
Shane let out a bored-sounding sigh. Looks
like we have ourselves a showboat here.
Lawson lifted his flamethrower and got ready
to take out yet another Spider. It looked like it was
going to be a long day.
* * * *
Marty waited in the common room with all the
other mates and family members for the soldiers
to return. The fighters had been gone for so long
that the tension was so high, Marty could almost
taste it. He continued to pace back-and-forth, his
chest growing tighter with each passing minute. If
Lawson didn t come through the doors soon,
Marty felt like he was going to explode into a
million, itty, bitty Cougar pieces.
Relax, Keegan soothed. Sometimes it takes
this long. Just think of the good news you ll be
able to tell him when he gets back. Not only did
you shift once, but you did it three times. Once
you got past your fear, you took to it like a
natural. He ll be so proud of you.
I just hope he manages to come back, Marty
replied as he wrung his hands together.
Just as he said that, the doors opened and
soldiers began to walk in. Marty craned his neck,
looking desperately for Lawson. When he finally
spotted Lawson, Marty let out a cry of relief and
ran over to him.
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Lawson was covered in some kind of goo, but
Marty didn t give a damn. He still threw himself
into Lawson s arms and hugged him as hard as he
could. Sure, it made Marty s outfit dirty, too, but
he didn t give a damn. All that mattered was that
Lawson was back and he was safe and unhurt.
Thank God, I love you so much, I don t know
what I would do without you, Marty said.
Lawson paused. You what?
Marty stilled as he realized what he d just
babbled out. I love you?
Lawson pulled back and gave Marty a big kiss.
Good, because I love you, too.
When there was a snort of disgust from one the
felines, Marty spun around on him. Never before
in his life had he ever felt such rage in his body. It
was supposed to be a special moment between
him and Lawson and some asshole had to go and
ruin it.
Do you have a problem with us being
together? Marty asked.
Well, yeah. That Hawk has been nothing but
an asshole to us felines from the day he came
here, the feline said.
Did you ever stop to consider why? Marty
challenged. Maybe it could be that you all treated
them like second class citizens instead of equals.
Bullshit, we gave them everything they ever
needed, another feline called out.
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The Defeat of Lawson
Yeah, and you never let them forget that. In
the meantime, they were only given the training
facility when you guys were done with it, so that
meant they were left with early or super late
hours. They ultimately had to clear everything
they did through you guys. They had to shoot at
targets that were in the shape of birds. They were
still looked down upon because of what happened
the night of the great Raven attack, even though
they have done nothing but help you find the Lost
Shifters since they came here. If it was me, then I
would be a tad bit bitter, too. You all sit there and
act like you gave them equal treatment, but
nothing could be further from the truth.
Marty reached out and grabbed Lawson s hand.
Come on, let s get you cleaned up. I don t know
about you, but I have the sudden desire to be
alone. How about you?
Lawson smiled. After a speech like that, I ll
follow you anywhere, babe.
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Chapter Ten
awson was in a daze as he let Marty lead him
L
back to their living quarters. He still couldn t
believe that amazing speech Marty had made, not
only in his defense, but for all Hawks. No feline in
history had stood up for them that way. It just
boggled Lawson s mind. It also let him know that
Marty really did love him.
You know I really should go to decom and
wash this shit off me, Lawson said.
Marty turned around and gave him such a sexy
smile it would have made a saint sin. Don t you
worry. I ll get you nice and cleaned off.
I m pretty gross.
Would you rather have a shower with a group
of men? Or would you prefer that I wash you off,
very, very slowly? Marty asked, slowly.
Lawson lost all ability to think of anything else
save for him and Marty in the shower. Their wet,
slick bodies rubbing against each other. Marty s
hands slathered with soap as they slipped over
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The Defeat of Lawson
every inch of Lawson. Talk about a welcome
home, honey.
I think I d much prefer to have you do it,
Lawson said, his voice coming out an octave
higher.
Marty gave a playful smirk. I thought you d
say that. Now, let s get going. Oh! Just so you
know. I didn t bother to lay out P.J s for us,
either.
All the aches and tiredness suddenly left
Lawson s body. In fact, he felt a burst of
adrenaline that no battle had ever given him. It
was all he could do not to pick Marty up and run
to the room. But Lawson wanted to show that he
had some restraint, so he let Marty lead the way
until they finally reached their door.
When they got inside, Lawson would have
loved to pin Marty to the wall and kissed the ever
living hell out of him. But, since Lawson was still
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