Brax
I was kicking myself for not telling Cerys about one more part of my life. It wasn’t because I intended to hide it from her. It just wasn’t something I’d had to deal with in a while. Before I told her, I wanted to talk to the guys about it first. It wasn’t meant to slight or hurt her. I wanted to confer with them on how much to say now and what to hold back until she had time to absorb it. Cerys had asked me to introduce her to more aspects of my life over time.
When we heard the car start up, we all ran for the garage, but we were too late. I should’ve prepared myself for her to do something when her emotions were suddenly turned off. We’d done it to ours, not wanting to alarm her with anything we might feel. To have her able to do it at all, let alone so effectively, had shocked us. We scrambled for our rides. Banner and Nico got in Banner’s car. We all headed toward Twyla’s. That was the logical place for her to go. If she weren’t there, we’d do the rounds to see if she was with one of her friends.
I was upset with myself for allowing this to happen, but I was also upset Cerys chose to run off again. Was this something I’d have to put up with from her over our lives? If so, I’d have to find out how to change that tendency. I refused to think of the possibility that what I had to tell her would drive her away permanently. The guys and I had barely spoken about what to tell her before she drove off.
Finding Twyla wasn’t home wasn’t a complete shock. She was always very active and could be puttering around town doing any number of things. I’d chosen to stay there and wait for her to return and or for Cerys to arrive, though she should be here already. The guys said they’d see if they could find Cerys’ car in town, and Nico was calling Norah and Denise.
I was about to call it a bust after an hour and to start searching when my phone rang. I scrambled to get it out of my pocket. My heart leaped when I saw Cerys’ name.
“Cerys, where are you?” I asked as soon as I answered it.
“Brax, I’m fine. I’m calling to let you know not to worry.”
“Babe, I need you to come home so we can talk,” I interjected.
“I know, but I have to do some thinking and get myself in the right headspace to talk. I wanted to let you know not to worry. I’ll let you know when we can get together and talk.”
“Cerys, what does get together and talk mean? We can talk at home.”
“Brax, I think maybe we should talk somewhere neutral.”
“ Astéri mou , don’t make a hasty decision. We need to discuss things, I agree. I’m sorry that the way I handled this upset you so much. It’s nothing terrible, but I need to figure out what to tell you and how.”
“Figuring out what and how scares me, Brax. Tell me everything there’s still to tell. I can’t go along and keep having bombshells drop.”
“There are no bombshells. This is the last thing we need to talk about. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get on with the rest of our lives,” I told her.
I wondered if she heard the plea in my voice. Over the phone, it was impossible to feel her emotions or for her to feel mine. How it was possible for her in the first place was still a mystery to me. How was she able to feel and hear the way she was? A mystery to solve after I smoothed this over.
She didn’t answer me immediately. I began to panic. Finally, she spoke. “I’ll come back to your house when I’m ready to talk. I’d like it to be just us, no one else.”
“We can do that. I’ll be there. Do you think it’ll be tonight?” If she said no, I might lose my shit.
“I believe it will. No need to drag it out.”
“Cerys, baby, I love you. This isn’t anything we can’t figure out together.”
“I hope so, Brax. Please make sure there’s nothing else you need to tell me. I love you, too, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be lied to, accept secrets, or anything like that.”
“You won’t have to.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. Goodbye,” she said.
I barely got goodbye out before she hung up. My hands shook as I sent a group text to the guys.
Me: Cerys called. She’s thinking. Not at Twyla’s. Will call and come to the house when ready to talk. Wants it to be only the two of us. Will let you know what happens.
Royal was the one to respond first.
Royal: At least she called. Don’t freak. Tell her everything when she gets there. Trying to protect her will backfire.
Nico: Second what Royal said.
Banner: We’re here for you.
The others chimed in with encouragement, too. With that out of the way, I headed back home. I kept praying to the gods the whole way there. Nightstalker was suspiciously quiet. He was pissed at me. He’d already chewed me out for chasing her away.
I paced and cleaned the house for hours, waiting for her to call and tell me she was on her way. The longer it took, the more scared I got. It was almost nine o’clock at night when her text came.
Cerys: On my way. Be there in twenty.
Me: Drive carefully. I’m waiting.
I fixed her a glass of her favorite soda and had leftovers ready in case she hadn’t eaten. I was too nervous to eat. At the sound of her car approaching, I went to the garage to meet her. She seemed a bit hesitant when she got out of the vehicle. I wasn’t allowing her to put barriers between us, so I went to her and gathered her close. She gave me a tentative smile. I kissed her. I didn’t ravish her mouth, but I made sure she could tell how I felt. When I was done, she appeared dazed. Walking her inside, I took her to the kitchen and sat her on a stool at the island.
“Here’s your soda. Are you hungry? We have a ton of leftovers.”
“Thank you for the drink. As for food, not right now. I think we should talk without delay. I’ve calmed down. I know I upset you by leaving. I did it so I could clear my head, think rationally about us, and not say something in anger. Are you ready, willing, and able to tell me everything I don’t know? Or will you keep things from me?”
I reached over, squeezed her hand, and nodded. “I’m more than ready, willing, and able. Will you please let me tell you everything without interrupting? Then, I’ll listen to all your questions when I’m done. You can tell me if you have any objections or whatever.”
“I can do that.”
“Alright, when we were talking about the Council of Oracles, you asked how they could possibly police all the shifters from Delphi. Even if our numbers are reduced, there’s still a number of us, and we’re scattered all over the world. The answer is they don’t do it alone. When the Council was formed, which was back after the Black Death had swept through Europe, there were still a lot of believers in the old ways, myths, and the gods, along with Christians. That’s when the idea was born to create the Council. Right after it was formed, the members realized the breadth of such a task. They decided to form their version of police, I guess, to help them with matters.
“They had beliefs about what caused the plague, and that was evident in the name they gave themselves and their guardians, or in this case, sentinels. I don’t know if you know much about Greek mythology, but you’ve heard of the god Apollo. He was always seen as the god of a lot of things. Truth and prophecy, healing and disease were big ones. He was considered the god who gave help and warded off evil. When it came to healing and medicine, Apollo was believed to deliver people from epidemics, but on the flip side, he could bring you ill health and plagues. That’s why he was so often seen with arrows. It was how Apollo inflicted people with the plagues. Like all gods, he has a benevolent side and a vindictive one. It was these beliefs and the fact that Delphi was always his patron city that the Council named their guardians, who helped them with their enforcement and punishment activities, as the Sentinels of Apollo.
“There are small groups of Sentinels placed strategically around the world. They get called in if there’s something the Council of Oracles believes requires intervention. Sometimes, it may be to bring someone to meet with the Council, and they’re not complying. Other times, if a supernatural perpetrator commits a heinous crime, they go before the Council to have their case judged and sentencing carried out. As you can imagine, having one of them in prison with humans wouldn’t be the way to go.”
Cerys seemed to be hanging on to every word. She showed interest. I hoped it stayed that way for the next part.
“You know how we maintain secrecy to keep ourselves safe. The Sentinels form and stay in small groups for the same reason. Their identities are kept a closely guarded secret. The skills they need are a wide range of them. Sometimes, their civilian jobs require many of the same skills they use as Sentinels.”
I paused again. She did speak up long enough to say, “Brax, whatever you need to say, just do it.”
I took a deep breath and then confessed. “Myself, Royal, Nico, and the rest of my friends are one of the Sentinel packs. We police the United States. Others who are part of our world have no idea we are. We get called out to carry out our duties at odd times, and sometimes, it can be years in between those episodes, and other times, we get them close together. If we must, we aren’t just the arresting officers. We can be called upon to perform terminations. It’s never a good day when that happens.”
I stopped my explanation at that point and sat there watching her. It was one thing to know that your man arrested and, on rare occasions, shot people as part of his everyday job. It was another to know he secretly hunted and, at times, killed people. That was what I hesitated to tell her earlier. And I wanted to be sure that my friends were alright with her knowing about them. It had never come up with any of us, but in other Sentinel groups, sometimes even their close family members had no idea what they did.
Cerys was staring at me. I saw disbelief and astonishment flicker across her face and then something I wasn’t sure of because she flipped to be deep in thought. I was about to shout and plead with her to say or do something, anything, when she finally spoke.
“Brax, I’m curious. Why didn’t you want to tell me this when the guys were here with us?”
“One reason is that I wanted their permission since telling you about me would expose them. I’m not a lone hunter. You’d guess they were with me. The other is that even those who are Sentinels in other countries don’t always tell their families. They don’t want them to know what they do. As a sheriff, if I have to pursue or shoot someone in the line of duty, that’s one thing. As a sentinel, I hunt and kill, but without the restraints I have on me as a human officer of the law. Will you be able to see me the same way knowing this about me and my closest friends?”
“I can’t fathom having the regular burden you carry as a deputy or what the others do in their everyday jobs. However, to have this added to it, how do you bear it? And to not be able to tell your loved ones that would be excruciating. How long have you been doing it?”
“I joined a hundred years ago after I met Royal and Nico. Those two have been Sentinels far longer, and the rest have been one for a couple of decades, more or less than me.”
“Oh my God! What is the term length?” she asked aghast.
“Term length?”
“Yeah, I assume you get voted in like an elected official. How long do you serve before you get the option to retire?”
“Unless we ask to step down or are asked to do it, we don’t have a set amount of time. Many do it until they die. The Council is different. They’re capped at fifty years and then have to be either re-elected or replaced.”
“No one sees the strain that puts on you guys? The depression and burnout that it could cause? How many apprehensions versus terminations have you done in a hundred years?”
I had to stop and think. Even by doing that, I was estimating when I answered her. “Bringing them in, probably a hundred. Carrying out termination orders, half that many. Sometimes, they’ve been a combination of bringing in and ending soon after.”
Cerys came up off her stool. I stood. If she tried to run for the door, I’d stop her. She had to allow me to plead my case. The next thing I knew, she was throwing herself at me. I caught her in my arms. She hugged me tightly and murmured against my chest.
“You poor thing. How do you stand it and not lose your mind? To have that terrible burden placed on you is unthinkable. You have it in both your lives. I’m so sorry, Brax. I hate that I acted like a petulant child and ran earlier today. I assumed. You see where that got me. Can you forgive me for acting like such an idiot?” In the end, her voice caught. I raised her head. She was crying.
“Cerys, shh, don’t cry. You’re not an idiot, and there’s nothing to forgive,” I softly crooned.
She raised up on her toes. I knew what she wanted, but I hoisted her to sit on the island rather than bend. Her mouth sought mine. The kiss was full of desire, a taste of desperation, and an apology. She was the one to slide her tongue into my mouth, seeking to tangle with mine, and I more than eagerly kissed her back. It could’ve gone on for hours, but I needed to make sure we got everything out in the open and resolved. Reluctantly, I drew away. She whimpered.
Don’t. She’s here. Mate her , Nightstalker demanded.
We have to be sure everything is worked out first , I lectured him.
She kissed you. Smell her. She wants to mate.
I stopped arguing with him. “Cerys, I’ve got to ask. Are you going to be able to stand to be with me knowing this? I’ll leave from time to time, and I may be gone for a few days, a week, or two. I have no clue how often it’ll happen. I can’t see myself leaving the Sentinels. My hands will always have blood on them.”
She grasped my hands. “These hands do way more good than harm. Even when you have to kill someone, it’s about justice, not blind murder. It’s you I worry about. Besides missing you and praying you’ll return to me, I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll do everything in my power to come back to you. There’s one thing we need to decide about what I just told you. Do we tell Twyla? She’s the only one we all agree is okay to know, but no one else in our lives can, even if they somehow discover what we are. That means keeping it a secret from Denise, Norah, Millie, and Julia,” I warned her.
“They don’t need to know. As for Twyla, let’s wait and see. She’ll likely have to be told at some point, but not yet.”
“I can do that. Do you have more questions?” I asked.
“Yes, I do. How hungry are you?”
“Why?” I asked in utter confusion.
A sexy smile appeared on her beautiful face. “Because if you aren’t starving to death, I want to know if I can entice you to come to bed and make love. I need you.”
Our kiss had already made me hard. To hear she was feeling amorous, too, had me letting Nightstalker express his feelings on the matter. A low growl escaped me. As it did, I scooped her up in my arms and marched toward our bedroom. She unleashed a squeal of delight. As I carried her, I nibbled on her neck and shoulders. She giggled and kissed me wherever she could reach.
In no time, I had her on the bed, and I was stripping away my clothes. They felt like restraints, and I had to get the restraints off me first. Then I’d unwrap her. Or that was the plan, but Cerys had other ideas. She sat up and tugged her top off, sending it sailing across the room. Next came her bra. Watching her heavy tits bounce as she jiggled around held me mesmerized. When she noticed, she cupped both of them and jostled them.
“See anything you might like, Abraxas?”
A low grumble rolled up from deep inside of me. Kicking off my jeans and underwear, which I removed together, I stalked to the bed. I grabbed her ankles and jerked her to the edge of the mattress. I worked her pants and underwear off. I was dying to touch, taste, and feel her.
A part of me wanted to fall on her like my wolf and take her in a rough and fast coupling. Another wanted to take my time if I could remain sane and taste her thoroughly before sinking into her and fucking her and me into a mindless heap. My cock was hurting with the need to release my seed.
Fighting myself, I parted her legs and started at her ankles, kissing and licking up her leg. I was headed for her core. Her scent was heady and made me lose my rational thought-processing abilities.
I was almost to her pussy, which had my mouth watering and my cock leaking. I paused to grip the base and squeeze. I did it harder when she moaned, and then her hand lowered and swiped through her soaked folds. Her fingers glistened with her honey. She held it toward me.
“Do you want to taste? Or should I?” she asked.
I grabbed her hand to prevent her from getting all the goodness and latched onto them. I licked them thoroughly and avidly. When I was done, I’d gotten every bit of it and wanted more.
I crawled up until I could reach her lips. I gave her a hard kiss. I was moving away when she hooked her legs around my hips and pushed. I caught her hint and rolled onto my side, then onto my back. She straddled me and nipped my bottom lip with her teeth. I growled, not due to her teeth but the fact she lowered her hips and rubbed her slick pussy along my cock.
I reached around, got a hold of the base, and rubbed my cock along her folds. “Fuck, you’re so wet and hot, Cerys,” I groaned.
“I can’t,” she panted.
“Can’t what?”
“Wait,” she moaned, and then I was groaning as she caught the head at the entrance to her snatch and pressed, sinking down on me. She didn’t stop pressing down, so I pushed up until I was buried inside of her. I fought not to give in to my urge to pound her like a crazed animal. Only my woman seemed to have other ideas. She lifted and then slammed herself back down.
“Cerys, shit, don’t, babe. I’m trying not to go wild. You’ve got to slow down,” I begged.
“But I want you wild, Brax. Fuck me hard and fast. Pound this pussy and make me scream, Agápi mou . I want to feel you and your wolf as you both take your mate.”
This made me throw back my head, and I let Nightstalker’s howl of agreement escape. My canines and nails wanted to lengthen. I gripped her hips just short of painful, and as she lowered herself, I helped her by yanking down on them while thrusting my hips upward. The loud slap of our skin, cries, and pants were music to our ears. I swore I felt the blood pounding through her body. The emotions swamping me were more than mine or Nightstalker’s. They were hers, too. I still had no explanation for how that was possible, along with her hearing.
The first time she tipped over into an orgasm, she screamed. I didn’t slow down. I kept pumping in and out of her, which barely allowed her to settle before ramping her toward a second one. I knew I couldn’t hold out when that one hit. Needing to have more leverage, I tugged her off me. She gave me a baffled look.
“On your knees,” I practically snarled. She scrambled to get on all fours. I was over her and thrusting back inside before she was fully in position. This allowed me to go deeper.
“That’s it, Oh, oh, God, yes, right there,” she cried.
I plunged deep over and over. Taking my fingers, I coated them in her creaminess then I teased her asshole. She bucked and whined, but her encouraging look over her shoulder told me she wanted it. I eased my forefinger into her tight-as-fuck ass. She sobbed and chanted, “Fuck, fuck,” over and over.
She was tightening and loosening around me. My balls were drawn tight, and I could feel my seed gathering to be ejected. I sped up, which sent her into a fit of sobbing. As she caught fire and came, milking me like a fist, I thrust a few more times, then threw back my head, howled, and pumped her full of my cum. As I did, I gasped. Her breath hissed out. Something shifted inside her and in my cock. There was a grabbing sensation. She moaned even louder. I went to ease out of her, but I couldn’t withdraw. My attempt made her cry out. I froze.
“Christ, I don’t know what’s wrong, Cerys. Shit. Baby, I’m sorry,” I apologized. What the hell?
Stay. It’ll release soon. This will ensure our seed takes root, though not this time , Nightstalker said.
What? I can’t give her a pup. I’ve told you that I argued.
She can. Not wolf. Different but same.
As I stopped coming and she slumped forward, I rubbed her back. I was stuck. As I pondered it, I recalled the talk of knotting. When actual canines, wolves, and wolf shifters had sex with a female of the same species, to ensure a greater chance of conception and to prevent another male from having sex with the female and beating out the first wolf’s sperm, the cock would swell on the end when the male came. They’d be unable to withdraw for a few minutes. But that couldn’t be what this was. Cerys wasn’t a wolf. Despite my denial, I felt the swelling ease a few minutes later. I gently tried to pull out and slipped free.
She laid down on her stomach. “What was that?”
“Something that shouldn’t be possible.” I went on to explain the concept of knotting. When I was done, she gave me a stunned look.
“Brax, I’m not a shifter.”
“I know, but Nightstalker keeps insisting we can have pups and that you’re different but the same, whatever the hell that means.”
We were curled together. I had her snuggled in my arms.
“You’ve never had that happen to you, I take it?” she asked.
“Never. And no shifter I know of, canine or not, who’s been with a human has. Believe me, they would’ve said something.”
“Maybe there’s something wrong with me,” she suggested worriedly.
“No, there’s not. Did it hurt?”
“Not really, just a little when you tried to pull out, and it wouldn’t disconnect. I wonder why it’s never happened before?”
“I have no clue. I’m going to check around with others to see if they’ve ever heard this,” I said.
“God, I can’t wait for the guys to hear this. Warn me before you do.”
“I won’t ask if you don’t want me to.”
“No, I think we should know what caused it, especially if it might happen again,” she objected.
“Well, that can wait. Right now, how about we get cleaned up, and then you need to eat,” I suggested.
“Yes, let’s do it because I’m hungry. Someone had to attack me instead of feeding me,” Cerys teased as she rolled to the edge of the bed and got up.
I jumped up and chased her into the bathroom. She laughed and tried to shut the door on me, but I was too fast for her. I turned on the shower and then threatened to toss her in the cold water. She made very intriguing sexual promises if I didn’t. I’d take her offers.