Free The Spur of the Platypus by Jackie Nacht Page A

eyes were haunted except when he gazed upon his mates, Rio and TL.
    Flex’s own gaze flicked to Prescott standing in the crowd. He was smaller, maybe five feet six inches, with brown, shaggy hair that kept falling into dark-brown eyes, but damn if he wasn’t standing with authority. He was giving directions and helping venom out as they settled on the beach from a long journey. God, he was beautiful. Tan and strong willed. Flex blatantly adjusted his cock in his shorts just thinking of what he wanted to do to his anti-venom.
    Green stepped up next to him. “What do you think?”
    “I think I want him.” Flex winked at Prescott.
    Prescott gave him a droll stare before he got the children in a circle and started bringing them food.
    Green coughed. “That much was obvious. I was talking more about the large number of venom we have sunning themselves on our beach. The fight they are about to travel to.”
    Flex eyed his best friend.
    Green smiled widely at him with full lips and rubbed the brown fur on the top of his head with his slightly webbed hands. It was the only place on Green’s tan body that he held the fur of the Platypus, which wasn’t a lot compared to many of his kind. However, his friend definitely had more of the traits of the platypus show through than Flex. Green even had the beaver tail where Flex only had the slightly webbed fingers and the venomous spurs near his Achilles.
    “I think that we better find some room.” Flex crossed his arms as he watched several platypuses tentatively greet the newcomers.
    “You don’t think that this will make us a target?” Green asked quietly as a couple venom passed by.
    “We’re already a target. We’ve been hiding from the enemy, and it was only a matter of time before they found us. Look at Striker and his family. Do we want to fall to the same fate? Fuck no, I don’t.” Flex pulled at his lower lip with his fingers as he scanned the beach. He eyed their leaders. These leaders had loved ones in captivity. They all had a common goal. Protect and find their family.
    “Trust is hard for me,” Green mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck as a— shit —poison dart frog walked by them. They really did travel with a lot of different kinds of venom.
    “Me too, but I think it’s time we learn to try. They’re asking for us to protect their little ones while they fight to protect us all. They’re trusting us. It’s time we trust them.” Flex’s gaze veered to Prescott again. The man just kept drawing Flex in. “I want to help them fight,” Flex murmured.
    “I thought you would.” Green sighed next to him.
    “Round up the other platypuses. We need to come up with a way to protect the children while we have a team go in and help.” Flex’s mind was working on where they could settle the kids down and keep them away from the eyes of wandering travelers up to no good.
    “I’ll go and get the rest, but what are you going to do about him?” Green pointed to Prescott. “You said he couldn’t go.”
    “He won’t be going. If I have to tie his ass down myself and have the others watch him, I will.” Flex scanned the crowd, searching for Striker. He would not see someone else he cared about fall into the wrong hands.
    “You’re already fucking up with him, you know?” Green voiced his thoughts.
    Flex scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “I know, and he’ll be pissed, but at the end of the day, he’ll be safe and not in the hands of monsters.”
    “You never do anything easy, do you?” Green chuckled.
    Flex chuckled. “No. Now go. I have a mate to piss off.”
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    Prescott could feel that damn platypus’s eyes on him again. He wanted to look over his shoulder and stare at Flex but wouldn’t give the bastard the satisfaction. Flex knew he was good looking; he didn’t need Prescott to confirm or inflate that ego. And, boy, was he handsome.
    Whatever Prescott had imagined the platypuses to look like, nothing