Chapter Fifteen
HORVAN FOUND Dellan on the couch in one of the living rooms, his legs curled under him and a pot of coffee sitting on the table beside him. Dellan stared out the window where the first rays of sunlight had caught the treetops.
Dellan turned his head as Horvan approached. “Hey. There’s coffee if you want some.”
Horvan sat beside him. “How long have you been down here? I didn’t hear you get up.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” He raised his gaze to the ceiling and smiled. “Unlike Rael. He amazes me how he can shut out the world the way he does.”
Horvan poured himself a cup. “Suppose you tell me what kept you awake.” He didn’t like the air of unease that clung to his mate.
“I was thinking, I guess. Couldn’t shut my mind down.” Dellan shook his head. “Yesterday certainly gave me plenty to occupy my thoughts.”
Horvan didn’t have to ask what that meant. Hashtag and Roadkill were like brothers, had been for more than a decade, and to learn their connection went way deeper than that? There was a rightness to it. As for Eve, she’d walked through that door and Horvan’s band of brothers had suddenly gained a sister.
A pretty awesome sister at that.
Dellan rested his head against the seat cushion. “We know nothing about mates, do we?”
He gave a wry chuckle. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that . We know one thing—they seem to come in threes. And so what? Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
Dellan stared at him. “You mean three is the norm?”
Horvan nodded.
He pondered for a moment. “You might have something there. A triangle is the most stable shape, isn’t it? And while threesomes occur for different reasons—to spice up a relationship, to bring in something that’s lacking in the original partners—sometimes they can be a little… wobbly, you know, with not all the sides equal. But with mates, it isn’t like that.” Dellan pointed toward the ceiling. “Take Saul, Vic, and Crank for example. Crank came along after Saul and Vic had been together for years, but if you ask him if he feels as though he’s an add-on or a third wheel, he’d laugh at you. He knows , balls to bones, that he’s meant to be with them, just like they’re meant to be with him.”
“I don’t think musing about mates would’ve deprived you of hours of sleep,” Horvan remarked. Come on, baby, tell me what’s hurting you. Let me in.
Dellan returned his gaze to the window, his face tight. “Alec….”
Aw shit.
Horvan felt the pain that lanced through Dellan. Ever since Saul had told them about his torture at the hands—or rather, claws—of Alec, the result of the Geran’s experimentation with one of Dellan’s offspring, Horvan knew it had to be on his mind. No one wants to think they’re created a monster . He waited for Dellan to say more.
“Once I learned about the enforced mating—and God knows how many times they brought shifters to that fucking cage in more than a year—I accepted the truth. Somewhere out there are probably untold numbers of little Dellans and Dellanettes.”
Horvan couldn’t hold back his smile. “That sounds cute as fuck.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Except then you remember why they came into being, and suddenly it’s not so cute after all. But Alec? He’s in a whole different league. From what Saul told me, he’s… an impossibility. A bio-engineered freak. A Geran killing machine.” His face contorted. “But I have to find him, if only to discover if….”
“If what?”
Dellan’s eyes were full of pain. “If he can be saved.”
Aw fuck.
Horvan put his cup on the table and held his arm out wide. “Come here.”
Dellan didn’t hesitate, shifting across to rest his head on Horvan’s chest. Horvan wrapped Dellan in his arms, holding him close enough that he could feel Dellan’s heart beating.
“Remember what Saul told us? How he described Alec? He said it was as if the lights were on but no one was home. He also said Alec didn’t speak, not once. That he didn’t show any emotion.”
Dellan craned his neck to peer at him. “But maybe he can be… deprogrammed?”
Horvan stroked a finger under Dellan’s bearded chin. “We won’t know that until we find him.” Then he pressed his lips to Dellan’s forehead. “But I don’t think you should get your hopes up. It’ll only hurt more if they’re smashed.”
“At least you said if and not when .” Dellan sighed. “I want my dad.”
“I know. And when this guard gets here, we’ll know more.” He hoped.
I hope so too.
Horvan chuckled. I’m getting forgetful in my old age. I didn’t hide that thought.
Dellan’s eyes twinkled. “Anyone who can fuck me through the mattress twice in one night is not old by any stretch of the imagination.” He returned his head to Horvan’s shoulder. “About our visitor…. We’re going to have to keep an eye on Brick.”
“You noticed that too, huh?” When Aric had informed them of the visit, Horvan hadn’t missed Brick’s mottled face, the veins on his neck straining against the skin, his clenched hands.
“Hey, I’m with him on this one. This guy is one of the bastards in charge of keeping my dad, Seth, and countless others prisoner. How many seconds do you think Brick will wait before ripping his arms out of their sockets?”
Horvan snorted. “Two—if we’re lucky.”
“Exactly. So if this guy is as important as Seth says, we have to let him speak. And that means keeping Brick on a tight leash until we’ve heard why the fuck he’s come to us.”
“Seth didn’t tell Aric that part?”
Dellan shook his head.
Horvan bit his lip. “I don’t think they make a leash strong enough to restrain a pissed-off polar bear.”
“Remember the other day when we called Doc? Well, something he said got me thinking.”
“Too much thinking, not enough fucking,” Horvan remonstrated.
Dellan gave him a light swipe on the arm. “I’m being serious. He reminded me that I connected with Rael in a dream. And that led me in a new direction.”
“You got no sleep at all, did you?”
A shrug. “Not much.”
“Okay, tell me about this new direction.”
Dellan ran his hand over Horvan’s chest. “Aric said they wouldn’t split up Seth and my dad at the camp.”
“Maybe because they’re father and son?”
He snorted. “As if they’d care about that. But what do we know about Seth? He’s a tiger, like Dad. And he has psychic abilities. So… what if those abilities are inherited? What if I found my way into Rael’s dream because I inherited those same gifts?”
Horvan stilled. “Whoa there. Where are you going with this?”
Dellan sat up. “I want to try.”
“Try what?”
“I don’t know. Experiment? See if there’s anything else I can do?” He huffed. “Surely Doc’s network of shifters has someone who’s into psychic research.”
Horvan saw the light. “You want to see if you can find Alec.”
Dellan nodded.
“Then we’ll try.”
Horvan would do anything to bring his mate some peace.
HASHTAG HAD a grin that would not quit. Unfortunately, everyone knew what had put it there. At least Roadkill and Eve appeared as goofy as he did.
Scratch that . Eve appeared to be as cool as a cucumber.
Does nothing ruffle her feathers? Then he thought back to the previous night. Nope, not a goddamn thing.
“I’m going to grab some time in the gym before lunch, while it’s quiet,” Eve told them. She arched her eyebrows. “Either of you going to join me?”
“Give me five minutes and I’ll be there,” Roadkill replied.
“Me too.” Hashtag tried not to stare at Eve’s ass as she walked away from them.
Those shorts could have been molded to her. The strip of golden flesh between shorts and crop top, the long, tanned legs…. Every inch of her called to him.
“Hey.” Roadkill pinched Hashtag’s arm. “Mind out of the gutter. Horvan wants a quick meeting, remember?”
He guffawed. “Don’t forget I can see exactly where your mind is. And no, we are not fucking on the weight bench. Dellan would kill us. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to get lube out of the leather?”
“Spoilsport,” Roadkill muttered. Then he grinned. “I’ll get Eve to work her magic on you.”
Yeah, he was a pushover where she was concerned.
“I can’t believe what we did last night,” he murmured.
Roadkill chuckled. “Well, you sure seemed enthusiastic.” His eyes gleamed. “And you? Talk about a dark horse. I had no fucking idea you had a domination kink.” He grinned. “This is going to work out great.” He inclined his head toward the stairs leading down to the basement. “She was a revelation, wasn’t she? She looks like butter wouldn’t melt, and then we discover—”
“She’s demanding as fuck.”
Roadkill rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. She even had me doing things I would normally balk at.”
He grinned. “Yeah, I noticed. You didn’t seem all that into it when she told you to eat my ass.”
“I was wrong, okay?” Roadkill sighed. “You were fucking delicious.” He leaned in closer, his breath tickling Hashtag’s ear. “And even tighter than I imagined you’d be.”
His words sent heat racing through Hashtag, and all he could think about was Roadkill’s cock driving into him.
“Tell you what. After dinner tonight, why don’t the three of us go down into the media room, pick a movie, and have a date night?”
Hashtag stared at him. “What—no plans for another night of hot sex? Who are you, and what have you done with Roadkill?” Not that he minded. The ache in his ass was a glorious reminder that Roadkill’s dick was definitely out of proportion in comparison with the rest of his body.
He let out another sigh. “You were right, okay? We need to spend time getting to know each other. We’ve got a head start—we need to let her catch us up.”
Hashtag moved in and kissed him on the lips. “I love it. Let’s go tell her.”
“Sure— after we’ve fucked on the weight bench.”
Hashtag was still chuckling as they headed for their meeting.
Seems like some things don’t change.
Thank God.
CRANK DIDN’T begrudge Hashtag and Roadkill a little happiness, but if he had to glance up one more time and see that damn cat who got the cream expression, he was going to lose his shit.
You know you won’t do that. You’re missing Vic, that’s all, like I am. And seeing the three of them brings it home.
He turned his head to find Saul regarding him with a warm smile. Yeah. Snapchat isn’t cutting it. Can’t feel his mouth on my dick that way.
Horndog.
You know it.
He said he’d be home soon.
“Taxi pulling up,” Hashtag called out, peering at the cameras on his laptop screen.
“Is it Vic?” Crank’s heart lurched into a higher gear.
Roadkill took a closer look before giving Crank and Saul a sympathetic glance. “Nope. Sorry. It’s some guy in jeans and a hooded jacket, and he’s got a bag.”
“What does he look like?” Aric asked from the small couch where he and Brick sat in a tangled heap of arms and legs.
He seems so small when he’s next to Brick. Then again, so do most people.
Saul gave a mental snort. “Polar bear? House kitty? You do the math.”
Hashtag peered at the screen. “Dirty blond hair, scraggy beard….”
Aric sat upright. “That sounds like the guy Seth described.”
Brick was up and off the couch in a heartbeat. He paced a little, scraping his fingers across his scalp, the veins visible on his muscled biceps. Aric was at his side in an instant, his hand on Brick’s thick forearm, his gaze trained on his large mate.
Hey, Saul? Better watch Brick. This could get ugly real quick.
Saul glanced at him. You got it.
“Let him in, Roadkill,” Horvan said from the wide two-seater couch where he sat with Dellan and Rael. Roadkill headed out of the room.
The stranger’s arrival sent a current of electricity through everyone, and Crank noticed how all heads turned in the direction of the door.
“Remember what Seth said.” There was a note of warning in Horvan’s voice. “We need to hear him out.”
Good man. Horvan clearly knew the score too.
“And maybe bear in mind not all Gerans are the bogeyman?” Eve suggested. “Present company included.” That earned her a hug from Hashtag.
The door opened again, and Roadkill walked in. “I’ve searched him. He’s clean.”
A tall man followed him. He was maybe in his early thirties, with a shock of hair brushed up from his forehead. And judging by the way his gaze darted around the room, by the way his hand shook, he was nervous as hell.
“You’ve got a fucking nerve ,” Brick bellowed as he charged across the room, grabbed the guy by the throat, and slung him against the wall.
“Brick, no!” Aric yelled as Hashtag, Saul, and Horvan grabbed Brick’s shoulders and tried to pull him away from the guy. Crank joined them, and even with four muscular men, they couldn’t divert Brick from his mission to kill the son of a bitch.
“Brick.” Aric stepped between Brick and his quarry, both hands on Brick’s broad chest, his face upturned to look Brick in the eye. “Please, baby.”
Listen to him , Crank urged silently.
Aric reached up to curve his small hand around Brick’s cheek. “Brick… please….”
Brick gave a loud sob and crumpled into Aric’s arms. Horvan and Saul helped him into a chair. Aric wrapped his arms around Brick’s large frame, shivers racking his slight body.
The guy stood trembling. “What the hell?” he croaked.
Horvan arched his eyebrows. “Well, what the fuck did you expect? We know where you work—”
“Except I hardly think ‘work’ describes what you do, Captain ,” Crank interjected with a sneer.
Horvan glared at him before addressing the guy. “You have his mate incarcerated in your fucking camp. Did you really expect him to invite you in and offer tea and scones? Are you that delusional?” He paused. “What’s your name?”
“Milo Keppler. And I don’t understand how you can—” Milo expelled a breath. “Seth told you. I still don’t understand how he managed it, but he said he would.” He glanced at their faces, freezing when he caught sight of Dellan.
Then he walked over to him.
Crank and Hashtag were at Milo’s side in a heartbeat, and Roadkill was behind him.
Milo was still shaking as he stared at Dellan. “You resemble your father.”
Dellan made a choking sound. “He’s okay?”
“He’s fine. Well, he was the last time I saw him.” Milo paused. “He gave me a message for you. He said, ‘Tell Dellan I can’t wait to see him again, and I’m sorry I didn’t bring him back a present from Italy.’”
Tears trickled down Dellan’s cheeks, and Horvan and Rael held him.
Horvan stared at Milo. “Seth also told us to listen to you.” He let go of Dellan and stood. “Now tell us how you knew where to find us. Because Seth doesn’t know that.” He turned to peer at Aric. “Unless you told him?”
Aric shook his head, not letting go of Brick.
“I was given this address by Jamie Matheson,” Milo announced.
Dellan was on his feet in an instant. “Jamie’s there too?”
He nodded. “And he’s okay.”
“So why are you here?” Brick ground out.
Crank was relieved to see Aric’s gentle hands were working their magic.
“I want the Fridans to liberate the camp.” Milo sounded a little breathless.
“As easy as that,” Saul said with a snort. “Sure, why not? We’ve got nothing better to do than organize a raid on a camp whose location is a freakin’ mystery .”
Milo gaped at him. “I’ll give you all the details you’ll need. Coordinates, routines, numbers….”
“And why would you do that, soldier?” Eve snarled, her voice harsher than Crank had heard it so far. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Milo.
Crank grinned. Eve was gonna fit in just fine.
Milo blinked. “I know you, don’t I?”
She nodded. “We met about seven years ago. You were the rising star, I recall. Now answer my question. Why would you waltz in here—into what amounts to the enemy’s HQ—and betray everything you’ve been fighting for? And yes, I’m doing exactly the same thing, but I’ve got a damn good reason for doing it. What’s yours?”
“My mate Jana is in that camp,” he blurted. “And if you don’t help, she’ll die.”
All the color drained from Eve’s face. “You… you have a mate too?”
He frowned. “You mean….”
“Why should we believe a word you say?” Roadkill hollered.
“Because you won’t only be saving Jana—you’ll be saving Seth, Jake, and Jamie.” Milo’s gaze swept around the room. “And if you want more incentive to trust me… how about the fact that I know the location of every Geran compound on the planet—including the main camp.”