Summary:
THIRDS #4
Action. Comedy. Romance. And that one weird guy.
After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he’s done. But Dex’s plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition’s crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn’t taking any chances. Dex’s team is pulled from the case, with the investigation handed to Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs. Dex refuses to stand by while another team goes after Hogan, and decides to put his old HPF detective skills to work to find Hogan before Theta Destructive, no matter the cost.
With a lengthy and painful recovery ahead of him, the last thing Sloane needs is his partner out scouring the city, especially when the lies—however well intentioned—begin to spiral out of control. Sloane is all too familiar with the desire to retaliate, but some things are more important, like the man who’s pledged to stand beside him. As Dex starts down a dark path, it’s up to Sloane to show him what’s at stake, and finally put a name to what’s in his heart.
This is going to be short and sweet as I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who is new to the THIRDS universe. I'm not going to say "it's better than I remember" because despite being 4 years since my original read, I remembered everything so I will say that once again the narration is spot on and makes the story unfold even more real and emotional, I could honestly "see" Dex, Sloane, and the entire Delta crew doing their thing in front of me. Talk about experiencing all of Dex's need for revenge. . . BRILLIANT! I think that Rise & Fall may have a pool of darkness to it that is deeper than the first 3 entries but Charlie Cochet never lets Dex leave behind his level of humor and snark that makes him such an enjoyable character to journey with.
Original Overall ebook Review for Books #1-4 October 2017:
I'm going to start by saying that some of my most trusted book lover BFFs have been singing the praises of Charlie Cochet's THIRDS for ages now, I've even had the first two in the series on my Kindle for nearly three years. With it coming up on October, I decided it was a perfect time to give it a read for my paranormal posts. Simply put: THIRDS is BRILLIANT!
When I started Hell & High Water I thought, hmmm Dex is interesting. Talk about an understatement. As a high school graduate of the Class of '91, I grew up with the music of the 80's, now I can't say they ever filled me with the "drop everything, sing, & dance" adrenaline rush that Dex brings to the team, but it made me smile every time he starts singing. As a life-long devoted Star Wars geek, I really loved Sloane's closeted geek side that he shares with Dex.
As for the mystery side of the series, to say it had me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover may sound cliche but its no less true. I won't touch on the plot as I don't do spoilers but let me say I could not put it down, when I finished one I immediately started the next. The characters just blend together so well, even when they are at odds, as in Dex and Ash, he is not a fan of Dex's fire or his love of everything 80s. As for the romance, well lets just say that its off the charts and the chemistry between Dex and Sloane is what we all hope to find.
Dex, Sloane, and Destructive Delta is the paranormal equivalent of Abigail Roux's Ty, Zane, and Sidewinder. Now, I am not saying its a copy, far from it! No, what I mean is the passion, anticipation, intrigue, excitement it sparks in me is similar to how I felt with the Cut & Run series. THIRDS is most definitely an incredible, emotional roller coaster all on its own and I can't believe it took me so long to check it out because now I'm waiting on tender hooks waiting for more of Delta's adventures.
RATING:
Summary:
Demon's Blood #1
Immortal blood is precious and Kokawa Taku’s makes him especially unique.
After vampire hunters force them to flee Tokyo, Taku and his lover, Thane, try to make a new life for themselves in England. But three months later Thane is still tormented by nightmares of the fire that almost cost them their lives. This leads to carelessness and the discovery of one of his victims.
When faced with threats from all sides Taku tries his best to protect them although his actions are met with disapproval and anger from Thane. Unknown to his lover, Taku is also struggling to keep hidden the truth of what really happened three months ago.
However, it is only a matter of time before Taku’s past and bloodline catches up with him.
Summary:
Heat of Love #2
A desperate young alpha. An older alpha with a hero complex. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.
Young Xan Heelies knows he can never have what he truly wants: a passionate romance and happy-ever-after with another alpha. It’s not only forbidden by the prevailing faith of the land, but such acts are illegal.
Urho Chase is a middle-aged alpha with a heartbreaking past. Careful, controlled, and steadfast, his friends dub him old-fashioned and staid. When Urho discovers a dangerous side to Xan’s life that he never imagined, his world is rocked and he’s consumed by desire. The carefully sewn seams that held him together after the loss of his omega and son come apart—and so does he.
But to love each other and make a life together, Xan and Urho risk utter ruin. With the acceptance and support of Caleb, Xan’s asexual and aromantic omega and dear friend, they must find the strength to embrace danger and build the family they deserve.
This gay romance novel by Leta Blake is the second in the Slow Heat universe. It’s 130,000 words, with a strong happy ending and a well-crafted, non-shifter Omegaverse. It features alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. No cheating. Content warning for brief sexual violence.
Summary:
Bloodlines of Fate #1
“Tell me a story Daddy.” Kikoi, xolos wrangler by night and King Talos’ snuggle monster by day, demanded.
“What story do you want to hear tonight, baby boy?” Talos, Vampyr King and Supernatural Council Member, asked while he pulled Kikoi onto his lap.
“I want to hear about when you met Daddy Bayne.” Almost three hundred years old and Kikoi would never get tired of story time.
“Again?” Talos arched an eyebrow with amusement.
“Yes! It’s a good one.” Kikoi beamed at Talos.
Talos leaned against the headboard of their bed as Bayne, former assassin but still looked damn good in armor, joined them and began…
The Age of Man has passed, and a new age is upon the Earth. An age of magic and technology ruled by the supernatural beings that once hid amongst humanity has begun.
Bayne is thrust into a world he thinks he knows but quickly discovers his whole life has been built on lies. Talos, perfectly happy ruling his corner of the world, is faced with an unexpected and unwelcome change that comes with the mate chosen by Fate. Together they must discover how to live and, in the end, love one another. Fate has more in store for them than learning to love someone they should hate. Will they be open to all the possibilities Fate lays out for them?
Bloodlines of Fate is a new urban fantasy series set in a world destroyed by humans and resurrected by supernatural beings. Fate has many plans for the vampires, unicorns, therianthropes, elves, and humans of this new world. While their mates may be fated, love isn't that easy.
This book contains depictions of gladiatorial combat, snarky fem twinks who will cut you, kings in stilettos, and awkward heats with a pinch of daddy kink.
Talos is part one of a two-part story arch that tells the love story of two triads (MMM). It does end in an HFN with a HEA tied into the second part. This is a type of omegaverse with mpreg.
The Selkie Prince's Forbidden Mate by JJ Masters
Summary:The Royal Alphas #4
Secrets, lies and a forbidden bond that could change the fate of a kingdom.
Marlin, Selkie prince and fourth alpha-born son of the King of the North, desires someone he shouldn’t. While taking a human lover is not quite forbidden, the one who caught his eye happens to be his brother’s scorned former lover. Nevertheless, every time Marlin’s around the man, he finds Nic hard to resist, even though his attitude can be frustrating. However, Marlin likes a challenge, and Nic’s a challenge he’s willing to tackle.
Nic has been bitter ever since the firstborn prince, Kai, broke off their affair abruptly years ago. To become involved with Kai’s younger brother could be just as heartbreaking because Marlin, like Kai, is obligated to find his fated mate and produce heirs. Something Nic can’t do. However, neither can fight their mutual attraction.
When a traitor escapes, Marlin’s skin is stolen, and danger ensues, it’s Nic who becomes the prince’s hero. And it’s at that very moment that Marlin can’t deny their fate, whether it’s forbidden or not.
Note: A 60k-plus word m/m shifter mpreg story, this is the fourth book in the Royal Alpha series. Due to the “knotty” times in this book, it is recommended for mature readers only. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s recommended to read the series in order. And, like all of my books, it has an HEA.
Marlin, Selkie prince and fourth alpha-born son of the King of the North, desires someone he shouldn’t. While taking a human lover is not quite forbidden, the one who caught his eye happens to be his brother’s scorned former lover. Nevertheless, every time Marlin’s around the man, he finds Nic hard to resist, even though his attitude can be frustrating. However, Marlin likes a challenge, and Nic’s a challenge he’s willing to tackle.
Nic has been bitter ever since the firstborn prince, Kai, broke off their affair abruptly years ago. To become involved with Kai’s younger brother could be just as heartbreaking because Marlin, like Kai, is obligated to find his fated mate and produce heirs. Something Nic can’t do. However, neither can fight their mutual attraction.
When a traitor escapes, Marlin’s skin is stolen, and danger ensues, it’s Nic who becomes the prince’s hero. And it’s at that very moment that Marlin can’t deny their fate, whether it’s forbidden or not.
Note: A 60k-plus word m/m shifter mpreg story, this is the fourth book in the Royal Alpha series. Due to the “knotty” times in this book, it is recommended for mature readers only. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s recommended to read the series in order. And, like all of my books, it has an HEA.
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Random Paranormal Tales of 2021
Rise & Fall by Charlie Cochet
“Nishimura-san!” his mother raced into his bedroom screaming for the physician at the sight of her son’s blood. Koji felt hands on his shoulders. He was roughly shaken when he failed to respond. Panicked golden eyes raised to meet his mother’s terrified ones even as his vision began to fail him.
Chapter One
“YOU’RE GOING to get us fucking killed!”
Dex ignored Ash and hit the gas, speeding after the ambulance heading up route 9A toward NY Presbyterian Hospital, its wailing siren and flashing lights an unyielding reminder of what he stood to lose. The ambulance had left before them, but Dex was in his Challenger with its own THIRDS-installed lights flickering and sending out a warning to everyone around him to get the hell out of his way.
When Ash had finally released Dex from his iron grip, Dex had stood on the sidewalk in front of his house, amidst the smoke and burning car parts unable to believe what had happened. He’d been at a loss, watching the chaos unfold as emergency teams and THIRDS agents flooded the scene. Orders had been shouted, the area evacuated, blue-and-black THIRDS tape marking off his personal disaster zone. And then a bright orange beacon parked near the end of the block gave him clarity.
Dex maneuvered through four lanes of traffic, changing gears and working the pedals. No one knew how to drive his baby like he did, and nothing on God’s green earth was going to make him lose that ambulance. Not with Sloane in the back of it fighting for his life.
Sloane….
No matter how hard Dex tried, his head kept replaying the scene like a goddamn looped video: Dex bolting for the front door, not caring what might be on the other side—getting to Sloane had been all that mattered. He has to be okay. Please God, let him be okay. Clouds of thick black smoke. The sidewalk in front of his house looking like a war zone, littered with debris and pieces of twisted car parts. The trees on fire. Dex tackled to the ground, the breath stolen from his lungs. Ash on him keeping him safe. Bullets flying. Sloane under a piece of mangled door. Screeching sirens and uniformed bodies rushing in. Blood everywhere. Sloane unmoving. A jagged piece of metal sticking out of his side. Blood, so much blood.
It should have been me.
“Fuck! Mother fucking asshole son of a bitch!” Dex slammed his hand against the steering wheel before swerving around some bastard going the speed limit. He was losing his shit. It was fast approaching much like the yellow—soon to be red—light ahead of him, yet he was helpless to stop it. The Challenger flew past the red, missing an oncoming taxi by inches.
“Enough!” Ash snapped at him. “You’re gonna get us fucking killed! Keep your shit together and get us to the fucking hospital in one goddamn piece, or I swear to Christ I will fucking knock your ass out and drive us there myself.”
Dex wanted to tell Ash where he could stick his threats, but he didn’t. He heard Ash suck in a sharp breath, and Dex eased his foot off the accelerator just enough to keep the ambulance’s flashing lights in sight a few cars ahead. Ash held on to the passenger door with one hand, his other pressed against his side to ease the pain along with the slow trickle of blood seeping through his torn stitches. Stitches he’d torn saving Dex.
“Sorry,” Dex said through his teeth. They were almost at the hospital, which meant more traffic. “Sorry for being an asshole and for what I’m about to do. Hold on.” He hit the gas pedal again, and the engine thundered as he raced forward. After a couple of close calls, they got to the hospital before the ambulance. He skidded into valet parking, put the Challenger in park, jumped out, and tossed the keys to the valet guy. Ignoring his teammate’s bitching, Dex called out over his shoulder for Ash to take care of it. The ambulance arrived seconds later, and Dex ran up to it, watching with his heart in his throat as the backdoors swung open and the EMTs rushed out. The gurney swiftly emerged with Sloane strapped down on his uninjured side, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, and the jagged metal piece jutting out from the right side of his torso. Removing it without surgery was clearly out of the question.
Dex followed the EMTs as they rushed Sloane through the huge open glass doorway into the hospital, shouting out codes and medical jargon Dex couldn’t make out. One of the EMTs said something about the THIRDS, and a Therian nurse behind the desk snatched up a phone and rambled something off. Within seconds, a handful of Therian doctors and nurses came running, joining the EMTs as they stole Sloane away into a wide, brightly lit corridor. Dex attempted to follow only to have his path blocked by two male Therian nurses.
“He’s my partner,” Dex pleaded, trying to get around them.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t go in there.”
“The hell I can’t. He’s my partner!” Dex grabbed one of the nurses when a pair of beefy arms wrapped around Dex’s waist, lifting him off his feet and away. “Fuck off, Ash! Get off!” He couldn’t leave Sloane in there all alone. Sloane hated hospitals as it was. What if he woke up and freaked out? What if he didn’t know where he was? What if something happened and Dex wasn’t there? He couldn’t lose Sloane now. It wasn’t Sloane’s time. They hadn’t had enough time!
“You’re not the only one who needs him.”
Dex stilled. It wasn’t so much Ash’s words, but the subtle desperation behind them. Ash put him down, and Dex turned, the look on Ash’s dirt-smudged face taking the fight out of Dex. He’d never seen the gruff agent looking so helpless, and despite clearly having his own fears, Ash met his gaze.
“He’s all the family I’ve got. Just let them do their job. It’s the best we can do for him.”
Dex swallowed hard and nodded. He had to get a hold of himself. It was only when Ash winced that Dex remembered the guy was slowly bleeding out. “Shit, Ash. Come on. We need to get you fixed up.”
“I’m fine,” Ash muttered, wiping the sweat from his beaded brow.
“Yeah, you look fine.” Dex refused to give in to his teammate’s stubbornness. He called over a nurse who took one look at Ash and ran off to get assistance. Ash continued to argue when Dex spotted his dad marching their way. Tony stopped beside them, his gaze dropping to Ash’s hand against his bleeding side before he barked out an order.
“Keeler, get your ass in there and get those stitches seen to.”
Ash looked like he wanted to argue but knew better. With a resigned sigh, he headed for the anxious looking nurses. As soon as Ash disappeared, Tony put a hand to Dex’s shoulder, concern in his deep brown eyes. It was too much for Dex right now.
“Hey. I’m going to take a walk. Call me if anything happens.”
Thankfully, his dad knew him well and gave him a nod. He removed his hand from Dex’s shoulder and let him go. Right now, Tony had to be his sergeant. Anything else would break Dex’s tremulous hold on his emotions. He walked off to gather his strength. He was going to need it.
IT’S NOT fair.
How many others had thought the same as they paced these halls? It wasn’t fair. But then life rarely was. Dex had learned as much from a young age. Some naïve part of him had believed he’d never find himself in this position again. First his parents, now…. He quickly shook the morbid thought away. God, he was such an idiot. His job was as high risk as it was before he ended up falling for his Team Leader.
For the first time in his life, he was a hot mess over a guy. Then again, Sloane Brodie wasn’t just any guy. He was rolling thunder and a sweet summer breeze. Passionate, complex, and intense. Mysterious and brooding. He made Dex laugh, beg, and want to scream. With one look he could crush Dex’s heart, with one whisper have him on his knees. It was terrifying and exhilarating. Dex thought he’d been in love before, when he was in high school, then college. Now he knew the difference. Their relationship was hard work, had been from the day they’d met, but every moment with Sloane was worth it. Dex had never met anyone so resolute in tearing through the obstacles the world threw his way than Sloane Brodie. There were moments of hesitation where he faltered in his steps, but he reached deep inside and found the courage to keep going. And no matter how damaged or dirty he ended up, he came out the other side more determined than ever.
Outside it was a warm September day. The temperature was in the midseventies, and the sky was sunny. The street buzzed with its usual activity while the city continued to pulsate with life. Tony, Cael, and the rest of the team sat in the waiting area, had been for hours while Sloane was in surgery. Dex couldn’t get himself to sit still long enough to wait with them, not with the way his blood pressure skyrocketed every time someone in a white lab coat or teal blue scrubs walked out. Plus the TV kept running news reports of the explosion, posting images and video footage of Sloane out in the field. The imposing and larger-than-life images of his lover, the depths of those amber eyes, mesmerized Dex. No one knew what was behind them like Dex did.
THIRDS Team Leader in critical condition after car bomb explosion…. THIRDS agent Sloane Brodie rushed to hospital after Coalition attack on THIRDS teammate goes awry…. THIRDS issues Threat Level Red alert after one agent is shot and a Team Leader is critically injured by Coalition leader Beck Hogan.
The headlines went on and on and on, dredging up anything connected to Sloane. They posted images of Gabe, ran old news footage of his death, of the funeral, before they moved on to Sloane’s new partner. Once again Dex found his image plastered all over the news, footage of him leaving the courthouse after sending his HPF partner away. It didn’t end there. The whole team was dragged into it, most of the footage from before Dex had been recruited.
There was Ash tackling some Therian perp to the ground during a case and restraining him, looking fierce and menacing. Rosa rushing to give medical aid to a wounded citizen. Letty shooting the lock off a warehouse door before the team rushed in. Calvin running toward his partner after setting an explosive device that Hobbs then set off. When Cael’s face came on the screen, Dex couldn’t take it anymore. He’d wanted to punch something so bad, he’d been forced to leave the waiting area.
For hours he walked up and down the halls, around the hospital grounds, and drank enough coffee from the Garden Café, the staff was on a first-name basis with him. He tried to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t drive himself out of his mind with worst-case scenarios. He’d wandered around the Greenberg Pavilion and its wings. Then the Baker, Payson, and Whitney Pavilions before making his way back to Greenberg.
These days, hospitals were trying to look less clinical with art on the walls, bright colors, comfy couches, restaurants, and hotel suites. That was fine with him, but it wouldn’t ease his nerves or alter the sick feeling in his stomach. It wouldn’t stop him from seeing Sloane unconscious under the battered car door, or the jagged piece of metal sticking out of him. The images had his stomach reeling, and the reality of what had happened, what could still happen, had Dex running to the nearest trashcan. Once he was done losing what little was in his stomach, he wiped his mouth, grateful for the café attendant who ran over to offer him help and some antibacterial wipes. He cleaned himself off and allowed them to lead him to a chair where he sat down and thanked them. The young man brought him a bottle of water and made sure he was okay before going back to his duties. Dex had no idea how long he’d sat there trying to hold on to his composure.
Dex’s family and teammates took turns scouring the hospital for him to make sure he was okay. It was usually a quick assessment. No one was ready to utter a word. As if any kind of conversation might influence the outcome. Dex had been staring out the glass doors of the hospital entrance when Cael rushed over. Dex braced himself.
“Dex, the nurse said the doctor’s going to come out and speak with us.”
“Did they say anything about Sloane?” He hurried after his brother to the waiting area.
Cael shook his head. “Nothing.”
When Dex joined the rest of his team inside the tastefully decorated lounge of soothing gray hues, they acknowledged him before returning to their previous fretting. They looked lost. Like they were waiting for Sloane to come out and tell them everything was okay. Dex knew the feeling. The team spent so much time together on the job—and off it—it was hard not falling into their roles no matter the situation, and Sloane’s role was of leader. They’d follow him to hell and back. Dex understood how this might be doubly hard for the team what with having lost Gabe. He could imagine what was running through their minds. It was probably somewhere along the same line as his thoughts. Would they be attending another funeral? Dex buried that thought down deep. He couldn’t go there. While he waited for the doctor to come out, Dex stood to one side and observed his teammates.
Letty and Rosa were huddled together speaking quietly, their arms linked, while Calvin gave Hobbs a reassuring pat on the shoulder, both glassy-eyed and tense. Dex hadn’t seen Hobbs whisper to Calvin once since the two had arrived at the hospital, and Dex feared Hobbs was retreating into himself again like he had after Gabe’s death. Ash was sitting in one of the two-seaters, red-eyed and groggy. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Dex felt for the guy.
The nurses had taken care of Ash’s stitches hours ago, and despite whatever they’d given him making him drowsy, Ash refused to close his eyes, even for a moment. Dex had a whole new level of respect for him. The longer he knew the guy, the more layers he discovered. Ash might be a certified prick, but Dex was growing to appreciate the rough agent’s underlying qualities. Dex understood Sloane’s loyalty now.
Ash bitched and groaned about almost everything. He was tactless and unapproachable, but if you needed someone to go to war for you, Ash Keeler would bring down his wrath like some vengeful Greek god and make it rain blood and pain on whoever made the stupid mistake of crossing him. Despite all that, somewhere deep inside, Ash Keeler still had a heart, because Dex saw evidence of it breaking every time Ash’s gaze landed on Cael. Why the guy was so damned determined to be without someone he would die for was beyond Dex.
A Therian doctor who Dex recognized as one of several who’d come out when the EMTs had arrived with Sloane, came barging through the door and into the waiting area, straight to Tony. Dex had learned months ago from his own stay at the hospital after some of Pearce’s hired goons ambushed him that the THIRDS had their own appointed medical staff here at the hospital, so he wasn’t too surprised to find the doctor royally pissed off. Dealing with the government had that effect on people. Whatever the hell had happened, the doctor was furious. When he spoke, his tone was harsh and clipped.
“Sergeant Maddock, a word please.”
Clearly dealing with the THIRDS didn’t mandate the same patience required for civilians. The doctor pulled Tony off to one side, and although their voices were quiet, it was clear by the doctor’s dilated pupils and his hand movements something wasn’t right.
“Screw this.” Dex marched over and butted in. “What the hell’s going on?”
The doctor eyed him with a frown. “Who are you?”
“I’m Agent Daley, Agent Brodie’s partner. If something is going on with him, I have the right to know about it.”
“Well, Agent Daley, I hope you care about your partner more than your organization does.”
The words hit Dex like a punch to the gut, and he did his best not to panic. “What happened?”
“The THIRDS withheld vital information regarding agent Brodie’s medical history, and it nearly cost him his life.”
“What?” A series of emotions swept through Dex, everything from shock, to anger, to confusion. The doctor must have picked up on it because he expanded his reply.
“Your partner suffers from malignant hyperthermia, a potentially fatal muscular disorder triggered by general anesthetics. As the anesthesiologist was given no information regarding Agent Brodie’s susceptibility to this crisis, he was administered anesthetics along with a paralyzing agent, causing him to suffer an episode. We immediately began emergency procedures, stabilizing his vitals before he could go into cardiac arrest. These complications could have been prevented had the THIRDS been forthcoming.”
“Is it possible they didn’t know?” Dex asked, hoping their organization hadn’t purposefully withheld such important information. Something told him he already knew the answer.
“It’s possible Agent Brodie was unaware of his susceptibility, but malignant hyperthermia is inherited, and the THIRDS refused to release background and medical information on Agent Brodie’s family, merely stating there were no concerns.”
“Those sons of bitches.” Dex’s jaw muscles clenched along with his fists. There was no doubt in his mind Sloane’s condition stemmed from his time at the research facility. It would explain why those bastards up in Washington were more concerned with keeping their secret safe than saving one of their agents. It had nothing to do with Sloane’s parents. The Therian Defense Department withheld information from Sloane’s First Gen records in order to prevent the risk of exposure to the First Gen Recruitment Program. After all, what was one agent in the grand scheme of things? Tony placed a hand to Dex’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him.
“Take it easy, son. Now’s not the time.”
His dad was right. He’d lose his shit over this later. Dex returned his attention to the doctor whose anger appeared to have subsided. “So what now?”
“He’s out of surgery and will remain in ICU under close observation for the next thirty-six hours. Until Agent Brodie regains consciousness, we won’t know what—if any—damage may have been caused by the episode. Once I have additional information, I’ll determine the next course of action. Hopefully it will simply mean moving him to a general private room before he’s well enough to discharge.”
“Can I see him?” Dex asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe the doctor, but Jesus, they’d almost lost him. Not that Sloane still wasn’t in danger. “Stable” was a word doctors and law-enforcement officers used for the media. It meant a patient’s vitals were unchanged. All Dex could do was pray Sloane pulled through this without further complications.
“While he’s in ICU, outside visits are restricted to spouses or partners only. We need to minimize the amount of outside contact to prevent any infection.”
“But, he’s my partner. I swear I’ll stay in the room.” The last few hours had been excruciating. How the hell was he supposed to get himself through another thirty-six hours without at least having seen Sloane?
The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid even the THIRDS need to respect the rules. I’m sorry, Agent Daley.”
Tony’s hand came to rest against Dex’s lower back, the Tony Maddock signal for don’t kick up a fuss. But if there was ever a time for Dex to stick to his guns, this was it. He had to see Sloane. “Can I speak to you privately, Doctor?”
“Of course.”
The doctor walked to one side, and Dex accompanied him, his voice low when he spoke. “When I said I was his partner, I didn’t just mean work partner.”
“Oh.” With a puzzled frown, the doctor removed a tablet from his pocket and scrolled through his information. “I have him listed as ‘single’ with his emergency contact a Mr. Ash Keeler.”
It was risky, but Dex had to chance it. “Yeah, um, it’s kind of against the rules. Now I don’t want to get transferred from my team. I love my team. But I love him even more. Please. You have to let me stay with him.” Dex met the Therian doctor’s gaze. The tattoo on his neck marked him as a wolf Therian, and despite his flustered state, Dex got a good vibe off the doc. He couldn’t be much older than Sloane, and he had a kind face with sharp golden eyes.
“Agent Daley—”
“If he wakes up or something happens and I’m not there with him….” Dex couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. He cleared his throat and tried again. “You know what brought him here. You said it yourself, you almost lost him. In our line of work, every moment we have is precious. Please, don’t deny me this time with him.”
The doctor looked like he was going to politely refuse once again, but instead he let out a resigned sigh. “All right. I’ll make the necessary arrangements, but it’s important you try and remain in the room. You’ll have to wash up first. I’ll inform the medical team.”
Relief flooded through Dex, and he wanted to throw his arms around the doctor and squeeze, but he restrained himself. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you.”
The doctor smiled at him and motioned over to the rest of the team. “Why don’t you let them know, and I’ll escort you inside.”
“I’ll be right back.” Dex sprinted over to his dad. “Hey, um—”
Tony arched an eyebrow at him. “Let me guess. You convinced him to let you stay.”
“Any chance I can have some time off?”
“Sure. I’ll take care of it. I’ll have Cael bring you your overnight bag and leave it with one of the appointed nurses.”
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll call the second anything changes. Let the team know, will you?” He hugged his dad.
Ash was watching him, and Dex held a thumb up. He’d send Ash a text message later. Ash gave him a nod in understanding, and Dex was off. He joined the doctor and accompanied him down a long corridor through a door that led to a medium-sized shower room. There were four closed-off stalls in a blue-tiled area with a wall of lockers to the left and around the corner to the right he could make out bathroom stalls and sinks. The doctor walked to one of the lockers and pressed his thumb to the small keypad. Inside, toiletry items and stacks of sealed plastic packaging containing gray scrubs filled it. He looked Dex over, shuffled through the packs, and handed Dex a Human size medium, followed by a small toiletry bag.
“We keep supplies for special visitors. There are clean towels on the racks next to the showers.” He removed an empty plastic bag from the locker and handed it to Dex. “Place your clothes in here. I’ll get one of the housekeeping staff to get them cleaned. You can leave your shoes outside the room. The less we expose your partner to outside elements the better. At least until he’s out of danger. I’ll return for you in fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you.” Dex took his supplies and headed for a stall. With everything going on, his clothes and appearance had been the least of his worries. Obviously he couldn’t see Sloane covered in dirt and grime. The doctor would return soon, and Dex didn’t want to keep him waiting, so he showered quickly, concentrating on washing off evidence of the explosion. He did his best not to let his thoughts drift off to Sloane and the state he might be in.
As soon as Dex was clean, he dried himself off, changed into the new scrubs and socks, pulled on his sneakers, and shoved his dirty clothes into the plastic bag marked for the housekeeping department. As the doctor had promised, he was there exactly fifteen minutes later. “I really appreciate everything you’re doing,” Dex said, handing the doctor his clothes.
“To be honest, your organization isn’t the easiest to deal with.” The doctor headed out and Dex followed. Sounded like this wasn’t the first time the guy had issues with the THIRDS.
“Yeah, I’m starting to see that,” Dex muttered. He still couldn’t believe they’d deny vital information that would impact one of their agent’s lives. For all the good the THIRDS did, it was still part of the government, and Dex wasn’t so naïve as to have blind faith in any one institution. He’d seen too much in his career, both at the HPF and now at the THIRDS. The THIRDS was a step in the right direction toward uniting Therians and Humans, but it wasn’t without its flaws.
“I take it you haven’t been with the THIRDS long?” The doctor stopped by one of the nurses’ stations and handed Dex’s clothes over as he spoke quietly to a young curly haired Therian. She gave the doctor a nod and was off. They were immediately moving again.
Dex shook his head. “A year this month. I was homicide for the HPF.”
“Wait.” The doctor frowned thoughtfully. “Daley. I’ve seen you on the news. You testified against your Human partner.”
“My claim to fame,” Dex replied dryly.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean anything by it. I thought I recognized you. Considering the options, I’d rather deal with the THIRDS than the HPF. No offense.”
“None taken.” He hadn’t exactly left on friendly terms. Still, he’d had a good run there. He wasn’t about to throw away ten years of good work over a bunch of bureaucratic douchebags. “They’re not all bad, but unfortunately the assholes are usually the ones who speak the loudest.”
The doctor chuckled. “Preaching to the choir, Agent Daley.”
They walked down the ICU and stopped outside one of the rooms where Dex used the hand-sanitizer dispenser on the wall despite having scrubbed himself from head to toe. The glass sliding door was closed, and the white curtain with a blue and pink pattern was drawn, preventing him from seeing inside. He toed off his shoes and nudged them to the side so no one would trip over them before he reached for the large button that would open the door. He hesitated. Whatever he expected, it would undoubtedly appear worse. Dex reminded himself about everything his partner had been through in his life, no matter how bad, he’d persevered and he’d do it again. He held on to that. The doctor placed his hand on his shoulder, his gaze sympathetic.
“Your partner’s a fighter, but he’s going to need your strength.”
Dex nodded, his lips pressed together to keep himself from giving in to the turmoil bubbling up inside him. With a small smile, the doctor gave his shoulder one last squeeze before walking off, leaving him on his own.
Well, he couldn’t stand out here all day. Bracing himself, he pressed the button and waited for the door to slide open before he parted the curtain and slipped inside. There was a male nurse with his back to Dex as he checked Sloane’s vitals.
“Excuse me,” the young Therian said before turning and slipping past him.
Dex thought maybe he recognized the nurse, but it was out of his mind the moment his eyes landed on Sloane.
“Jesus.” He wiped a hand over his face in an attempt to compose himself. It was growing more difficult with each breath he took. Stepping up to Sloane’s bed, Dex stood, attempting to take it all in. He’d known what to expect, but seeing Sloane laying there in such a state…. It was a sucker punch to his heart. The left side of his handsome face was swollen and covered in bruises. The purplish blotches continued down his neck and disappeared under the hospital gown, the blue of which was a stark contrast against his tan skin, skin that was scratched to hell. There were IVs and tubes sticking out all over, while the hum of machines and beeping monitors resounded through the otherwise silent room. Dex had seen worse during his career, but on the job, he found ways to cope. When it was someone he loved fighting for his life, how the hell was he supposed to cope with that?
He dragged a cushioned armchair over to Sloane’s bedside and took a seat, refusing to lose his composure. Sloane needed him to be strong. When his partner regained consciousness, who knew what the doctor would find? Dex could only hope for the best. He couldn’t afford to think about anything else.
“Hey, Beautiful.” Dex wanted to touch him but was hesitant to. He’d never seen Sloane like this, and he was finding it difficult figuring out what to do. The bed had been adjusted for Sloane’s comfort and raised at a low angle, making it possible for Dex to see the terrible shape he was in. How could a Therian so tough look so fragile?
Many Humans feared and despised Therians, felt threatened by them and their abilities, believed them to be unsusceptible to Human flaws. Therians might be resilient, but they were hardly immune to pain, illness, or death. They weren’t perfect, and yes, there were Therians who felt they were superior to Humans, but in Dex’s opinion that only went to prove that although the mutation in their DNA made them physically different, on the inside, they were as fallible as Humans.
Dex lifted Sloane’s hand to his lips for a kiss and shut his eyes tight against the tears threatening to burst free. Hold it together, Rookie. He smiled despite the situation. The word had become a term of endearment when spoken by Sloane. What he wouldn’t give to hear that low, gravelly voice or see those soulful amber eyes. He tried not to give too much thought to their future, considering his tendency to move too quickly, but at times silly notions would slip into his head. Like them living together, spending the rest of their lives together. Being a family.
“You have to be okay. I need you to be okay. Hell, I just need you. You promised me an afternoon in bed, remember?” A tear rolled down his cheek, and he swiftly wiped it away. It’s okay. Breathe. Just this morning he’d stood in Sloane’s arms, smiling up at those sparkling eyes. They’d teased each other and laughed before Dex all but melted against Sloane like he always did when Sloane kissed him. He’d been stupidly happy. Everything had started to feel normal again after the last few months. And now…. He put Sloane’s hand to his lips again and kept it there, his eyes shut tight as another tear escaped. It would be okay. The doctor had said so himself. Sloane was a fighter.
“I need you to be okay, Sloane. Please. I don’t know if you can hear me. You probably can’t, but I’ll say it anyway. I love you. I love you, and you can’t leave me.”
A tap at the window scared the hell out of him, and he gingerly returned Sloane’s hand back to the bed. Damn it, he’d forgotten to close the curtain when he’d come in, and now his father stood outside looking pretty pissed. Shit. He hadn’t expected his dad to come back so soon. Cursing himself for being so careless, he grabbed a gown from one of the hooks on the wall and slipped into it, followed by a plastic cap. Sloane’s vitals were at normal levels, and Dex didn’t want to be the cause of his lover getting an infection. Once he was done, he left the room, closed the door behind him, and faced his father. When he spoke, he tried to sound casual.
“Hey. Everything okay?”
Tony pursed his lips, his stern gaze on Dex. Oh God. He knows. Of course he knows.What the hell had made Dex think he could keep his relationship a secret from his dad? He’d never been able to keep anything secret from him. He could count on one hand the number of things he’d gotten away with in his childhood without his father finding out about it at some point. Tony was a sergeant at the THIRDS, for Christ’s sake. If his dad didn’t know something, he was either being purposefully oblivious or not interested enough to poke around. Dex’s best course of action was to remain calm, silent, and still. After an excruciating moment, Tony’s expression softened.
“Yeah. Everything’s fine. How are you holding up?”
Dex nodded, feeling the sting behind his eyes. Was his dad covering for him? He had to be. It wouldn’t be the first time Tony had put his boys before everything else, including the job. Hell, it’s what had gotten him recruited to the THIRDS after adopting Cael. The thought of what his dad might be doing for him, plus Sloane lying in the room behind him, had Dex blinking several times in an attempt to keep it together. It wasn’t like his dad hadn’t seen him cry before, but Dex was afraid if he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop.
“Son….”
The soft-spoken word broke Dex. He stepped into his father’s open arms and let the tears fall. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried like this. How long had everything been building up? The last few months had pushed him hard, but he’d put his game face on and did what he had to do to keep on keeping on. He’d always been good at keeping his chin up, finding a reason to smile even if inside he was screaming. Since joining the THIRDS, he’d been kidnapped, beaten up, shot, almost blown up, and now this. If it hadn’t been for Sloane taking those keys from him, it would have been Dex caught in the explosion.
“It should have been me….”
Tony pulled back and took hold of Dex’s face. “Stop it. I know Sloane. He would have done everything in his power to keep you safe. Forget about what should or could have been, and think about how you’re going to be there for your partner when he wakes up. He’s going to need you to look after him, and we both know, with everything Sloane has been through in his life, he deserves someone good looking after him, even if he’s too pigheaded to admit it. Okay?”
“Yeah.” Dex sniffed and took the tissue his dad handed him. He blew his nose before chucking it in the bin next to the door. His ears were hot, his throat sore, his eyes stung, and his head hurt. He was forced to breathe through his mouth because his nose was stuffed. God, he was such a mess. He turned and stepped up to the window to observe Sloane. Tony came to stand beside him, put an arm around his shoulders, and pulled him in close.
“He’ll be okay, but like I said, he’ll need his partner. That’s why I came here. With Hogan and his crew still out there, Sloane is in a vulnerable position. I think it would be a good idea for you two to stick together. Maybe have him stay at your place while he recovers. I don’t like the idea of him in his apartment alone. There are too many entry points in and around the building. Place is a tactical nightmare. Your street’s been cleared, and Hogan’s not dumb enough to strike the same place twice. Plus we’ll have someone on protective detail close by just in case.”
“You really think it’s necessary?” Would Hogan really try to come back and finish the job? The bomb hadn’t been intended for Sloane. If anything, Ash was the one who needed to watch his back.
“We’re not taking any chances.” Tony pulled Dex close and gave the top of his head a kiss. “Be good. I’ve got a shitload of reports to file and a meeting with Sparks. Call if you need anything. Cael’s at your house grabbing your overnight bag. He’ll be dropping it off in the next hour or so.”
“Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it.”
“Any time, Son.” Tony gave him one last squeeze before walking off and Dex stood there for a moment watching him go. He wondered if his dad would broach the subject of Dex’s relationship with Sloane once everything had settled. The rules against fraternizing with members of your own team were clear, though from what he’d heard, few agents actually adhered to it. They were just good at keeping quiet about their extracurricular activities. Dex doubted he and Sloane were the only ones using the sleeping bays to do more than sleep. With how much time agents spent in the field and on the job, relationships were bound to happen. It was when those relationships interfered with the job that the no fraternizing rule wiped the floor with them.
Dex used the sanitizer dispenser again before going in. This time, he remembered to close the curtain. He returned the cap and gown to their hooks before resuming his previous post beside Sloane’s bed. As he made himself comfortable, he thought about how he’d run after Sloane when the explosion went off. He’d been reckless and stupid. If his dad had been there, Dex would have been in deep shit. With a heavy sigh, he sat back and ran a hand through his damp hair. He’d had this conversation with Sloane. How they couldn’t allow their personal relationship to interfere with their job. What if his relationship with Sloane impaired his judgment? Could he be trusted to make the right call when the bullets were flying? He closed his eyes and tried to clear his thoughts. Maybe he was still a rookie, but he was hardly inexperienced. He could do this. Who the hell wouldn’t be caught off guard by an explosion outside their house midmorning? Exhaustion soon claimed him, and he fell asleep.
When he woke up, it took him a moment to remember where he was. He sat up and found someone had draped a blanket over him. He’d have to remember to thank the nurses. Feeling groggy, he pulled the blanket up to his chin and tried to get cozy, his gaze instinctively landing on Sloane to check on him.
Sloane’s eyes were open.
“Sloane?” Dex tamped down his urge to jump from his chair and instead gingerly stood, not wanting to startle his partner. Tenderly, he brushed his fingers down Sloane’s cheek—the side not covered in bruises and nasty scrapes. “Hey, handsome.”
Sloane blinked slowly, his lids heavy and his eyes dazed. He seemed to be staring at nothing in particular. His brows drew together, and Dex waited with baited breath. At one point Sloane closed his eyes, and Dex thought he was out again, but a couple of heartbeats later and Sloane was looking right at him. His lips parted, and a barely there “hi” made it out. It was the most amazing greeting in the history of greetings. Dex’s reply was nearly as quiet.
“Hi.”
“Thirsty,” Sloane rasped.
Dex quickly poured some water into one of the little plastic cups beside the pitcher on the side table along with a small straw. He placed the straw to Sloane’s lips with care and Sloane sipped. A few swallows later, and Sloane gave him a small nod. Dex returned the cup to the side table before gently running a hand over Sloane’s head, making sure to be careful. Who knew how much bruising there was.
“How do you feel?”
“Like shit,” Sloane murmured. He looked like he was trying to fight through the haziness. He’d most likely be falling back asleep any moment. Dex pulled his chair up close and leaned in to put his hand to Sloane’s cheek.
“You’ll be okay,” Dex said, smiling when Sloane turned his head so he could nuzzle Dex’s hand. He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
“Stay.”
Dex felt a lump in his throat. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.
Sloane hummed before nodding again. “Good. Need you.” His features softened as he drifted off, but not before he said one more word. “Always.”
Dex thought back to the night of the Coalition trade when Ash had been shot.
“You okay?” Dex asked Sloane, knowing this couldn’t be easy for him.
“No, but I’ll manage. Right now, I think you should take Cael home to your place. He’s going to need you. He’ll want to go to the hospital once the shock wears off.”
“What about you?”
Sloane gave him a small smile. “I always need you.”
Dex leaned over to kiss Sloane’s brow. “Always.”
Twice now Sloane had told Dex he always needed him, and both times the admission had knocked Dex for a loop. Not that he didn’t believe Sloane, but both instances had been under strenuous circumstances—the possibility of his best friend bleeding to death and now his semiconscious state. Sloane cared about him a lot, Dex was certain, but Sloane was reserved when it came to expressing how he felt about their relationship. Dex was always the more vocal one, the one putting his heart in Sloane’s hands and wishing for the best. He understood the whys, but it didn’t make it any easier, and the deeper Dex fell, the more he wished he knew. Would Sloane ever be able to love him? Or had that part of him died with Gabe?
Jesus, what the hell was wrong with him? He needed to cut this shit out. Maybe it was time for another nap. Drawing the blanket over himself once more, Dex dozed in and out of dreamless sleep, checking on Sloane constantly before allowing himself to drift off again. Sometime the next morning, someone running their fingers through his hair roused him awake. Opening his eyes, he turned his head to find Sloane smiling warmly at him. It was the most amazing smile he’d ever woken up to.
“Morning, Trouble.”
Dex smiled widely before letting out a fierce yawn. “Morning.” He sat up, and the blanket someone had wrapped around his shoulders slipped down. “I really need to thank the nurse. He or she keeps tucking me in.”
“He,” Sloane said before motioning to the end of the bed. “He also brought you your clothes and an overnight bag Cael dropped off a few hours ago. He apologized for not bringing it in sooner, but you were asleep, and he thought you needed the rest. You were out for the count.”
“That was nice of him.” With another yawn, Dex stood and stretched his aching muscles when the door opened and the doctor came in.
“Good morning, Agent Daley.”
Dex gave him a nod and watched the doctor stop beside Sloane.
“Hello, Agent Brodie. I’m Dr. Ward, I’m glad to see you’re awake. Your nurse should have been in to check your sutures and change the dressing.”
“He has. Thank you.”
“Good. Did he discuss the incident with you?”
Sloane’s amber eyes clouded over as he replied with a solemn, “Yes.”
Did that include the THIRDS withholding information? Dex would have to ask his partner. He wondered how Sloane would feel about it. Sloane had been with the THIRDS for over twenty years. He loved his job, but he wasn’t blind to their darker side. Hell, he’d been an unwilling participant in it for years. The THIRDS used youth centers to recruit. They were willing to sacrifice an agent to keep their questionable past a secret. And recently their team had discovered someone had been working out of the supposedly decommissioned research facility creating a control drug using scopolamine. Neither he nor Sloane were convinced it was the end of it. The doctor seemed to sense Sloane’s change in mood but didn’t pursue the matter. Instead he continued with the purpose of his visit.
“Your vitals are good. I’m going to do a few standard checks. You’ll feel some pain and discomfort during your recovery, but we’ll provide medication.”
Dex sat on the edge of his seat as the doctor did some preliminary tests, checking Sloane’s breathing, showing him how to support his wound if he had to cough or move. So far everything seemed normal. A little slow, but the doctor said it was to be expected.
“We’re going to do a few circulatory tests.” The doctor carefully removed the blanket from Sloane’s legs and feet. “Point your toes.”
Sloane winced but slowly did as he was asked.
“Good. Now make circles with your feet. First the left, then the right. Good. Now slowly, I want you to raise your knees one at a time, pulling your toes toward you.”
With his jaw clenched, Sloane gingerly bent his left knee and slid his foot toward him before lowering it again.
“Good. Now your right.”
A startled look came onto Sloane’s face. “There’s something wrong with my leg.”
Before Dex could give it another thought, he was at Sloane’s side, gripping his hand. He could hear the tremor in Sloane’s voice and knew his partner was trying to tamp down his panic. Sloane met the doctor’s gaze as he discreetly tucked Dex’s hand against his side, but the doctor was sharp. And he already knew about them. He gave Sloane a warm smile that reached his golden eyes.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Brodie. While you’re under my care, your relationship will remain confidential.”
It seemed to take a moment for Sloane to grasp what the doctor was saying. Once he did, he visibly relaxed. He still looked uncertain, but he focused on what was most important.
The doctor came around to the other side of the bed and gently touched Sloane’s right knee. “Tell me about your leg. What do you feel?”
“I’m having trouble bending it. I can’t lift it either.” Sloane squeezed Dex’s hand, and Dex returned the gesture. They both waited and watched as the doctor applied small amounts of pressure to different areas of Sloane’s leg.
“Can you feel this?” Dr. Ward asked.
“Yes.”
“How about now?”
Sloane nodded. “I can feel it fine. I’m just having trouble moving it. Like it’s too heavy.”
“During your episode, we were able to treat you before your muscles could suffer severe rigidity. There was no nerve damage, but it appears the reaction you experienced has caused muscle weakness in your leg. The fact you’ve retained some movement is good, but we’ll need to increase your mobility to prevent further weakness.”
“Is it permanent?” Sloane asked hesitantly.
“With muscle rehabilitation, you’re likely to regain strength in your leg within a few weeks, but it could take up to two to three months, depending on recovery and how well your body responds to the therapy. As a Therian in your shape, I would say a month. We’ll put you on a mobility plan. I’m approving your transfer to a private recovery room this afternoon. Therian nursing staff will be in to help you up and out of bed. It’s also important that while you’re resting in bed, you move positions, taking care with your injured side, of course. Once I think it’s safe for you to be discharged, I’ll give you an information packet for your recovery at home. With the medication you’ll be given, and due to your injuries, I highly recommend you refrain from shifting into your Therian form for at least three weeks. I know it’s tempting since we heal quicker in our Therian forms, but there’s a chance it may do more harm than good, so I’d rather not risk it.”
“Thank you, Doctor. When do you think I’ll be okay to go home?”
“I’d like to keep you another thirty-six hours to be on the safe side.” Dr. Ward gave Sloane a gentle pat on the shoulder before heading for the door. He paused and turned to smile warmly at them. “Your partner’s not left your side for a moment. You’re a lucky Therian, Agent Brodie.”
Sloane turned his smile on Dex, and it took his breath away. “Yeah, I am.”
With a nod, the doctor left the room. Dex took a seat. His partner’s expression turned pensive, and Dex gave his hand a squeeze.
“I’m sorry I told the doctor about us. It was the only way I could stay with you.”
Sloane’s smile reassured him he hadn’t messed up. “I’m glad you’re here. Remind me to change my emergency contact form.”
“Okay.” Dex couldn’t keep his dopey smile off his face. At least until Sloane’s smile faded.
“What if my leg doesn’t regain its strength? Sparks can’t have a defense agent who can’t work out in the field. I’ll be transferred to God knows where and put behind a desk. I’m not qualified to work Intel. Algorithms drive your brother crazy, and he loves that shit. Recon still requires a hell of a lot of fieldwork. What’s left?” His eyes went wide. “Oh God, what if they try to stick me in Public Relations or Human Resources? I’ll have to talk to the public. The media. I can’t talk to the media. Just looking at them makes me want to shoot something.”
“Easy there.” Dex brushed his lips over Sloane’s knuckles, watching him relax. “Whatever happens, we’ll work through it together. And we both know no one in their right mind would stick you in either of those departments. You’re a defense agent. One of the best. It’ll be okay.”
“You’re right,” Sloane said, letting out a shaky breath. “Besides, I’ve been through worse.”
“Why don’t you get some rest?”
Sloane was reluctant at first but soon settled back against his pillow. “What would I do without you?”
“Lead a quiet, peaceful existence?” Dex teased.
Sloane frowned. “Sounds boring as hell.”
A few months ago, Sloane’s answer would have been different. Dex tried not to get too sappy over his partner’s reply. “Can I get that in writing and notarized?”
Sloane chuckled before letting out a yawn. “Shut up.” He closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep, his hand still holding tightly on to Dex’s. Whether it was the near-death experience, the meds, or something more, Dex wasn’t going to question it, simply enjoy it. He kissed Sloane and settled back into his chair, grateful his partner was on the mend. It could have turned out so much worse. Tomorrow Dex would have to report back to work, but until then, he’d spend the rest of the day offering his partner whatever he needed. Whatever came their way, Dex would face it with Sloane.
Demon's Blood by Shari Sakurai
Ōtsuki, Kai Province, Honshū, JAPAN, 29 January 1714
Takata Koji knew he was dying. The sickness that had swept through his village had been relentless and had claimed the lives of scores already. He had fallen ill five days ago, two days after his younger sister, Kaede, died. The physician had just been to see him. The grim expression on the man’s face and the distraught weeping of his mother only confirmed what, deep down, Koji already knew. He did not want to die. He was only twenty-five. He wanted to cling onto life with every fibre of his being. But simply the will to live was not enough. Koji’s body ached and he could not get warm, no matter how many blankets his mother brought him. His voice had failed him two nights ago and was yet to return.
It was a cruel hand of fate that the direct descendants of the Takata clan had managed to survive elimination at the hands of their enemy only to perish now. The Okada clan had defeated his relatives almost a hundred and fifty years ago in battle. Of their branch of the family Koji was the only male born; the last heir. His mother could bear no more children.
Hearing the voices of his parents Koji glanced towards the shoji. He had only seen his father once since he became ill. His mother said the man was consumed by grief. Koji knew better than this. Takata Kazuhiro had talked of nothing other than reclaiming his clan’s status and land since Koji was a boy. Yet his own frailties had prevented him from achieving this himself. Some of the Takata clan’s descendants had managed to secure positions within the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, a poor background and ill health had prevented Kazuhiro from doing the same. Koji had been his last hope. It was more than his son dying; it was Kazuhiro’s dreams too.
Koji inhaled deeply, finding even this intake of air difficult as he shifted his position on the futon. The movement caused one of the woven blankets to slip off him and onto the tatami floor. There it remained. Koji lacked the strength to reach over for it. A hacking cough shook his fragile form. He had lost so much weight that his clothes hung off of him. The last time he had gazed at his reflection he had seen a corpse rather than a man staring back.
Koji gasped, fighting to catch his breath as the painful tickling sensation in the back of this throat relentlessly forced the violent coughing fit. A metallic taste welled up in his mouth and the frightened young man gagged over the side of the futon. The hand automatically flying to his mouth came back slicked with crimson.
“Koji! Koji!”
Her cries were becoming fainter now and the darkness that he was falling into was more inviting. As much as he feared death, Koji now felt some relief at its embrace. He was so tired. As much as he wished to hold onto life he realised that, deep down, all he really wanted was to be free of the pain.
******
Candles flickered in the dark, the heat from their burning light touching his sensitive skin as he was drawn from unconsciousness once more. Hot, red wax dripped onto the stone altar from the ceiling above. One spot landed on his palm, causing a hiss of pain to escape him. The clan’s Mon – coat of arms – was etched crudely into the low ceiling. The large circle and rhombi making up the outline of the symbol seemed to swell in size the longer that he stared at them. The two smaller diamonds in the centre were coloured completely in red.
Koji could hear the hum of lowered voices around him yet they remained in shadow. He tugged weakly on the rope that bound his arms above his head and back against the stone surface. An unnecessary precaution, for the fever had robbed him of most of his strength. He could barely curl a palm into a fist.
A weakened cough alerted them to his wakefulness and one man stepped forward. Koji tried to make a sound but a gentle gasp was all that was permitted from dry lips as his father approached. Takata Kazuhiro’s stern expression did not falter although there was some regret lingering in his reddened eyes.
Kazuhiro sustained a leg injury in a fight before Koji was born and had walked with a stick ever since. He leaned heavily on this now, as though it would somehow give him strength. A candle lit lamp was held in his free hand. Koji shifted slightly under his father’s gaze not understanding the situation or the reason for the man’s silence. He had slowly begun to recognise the room that he was in and confusion filled him. It was the village shrine.
“Kazuhiro!” Another voice broke through the quiet murmurs. Koji’s gaze turned to the newcomer. Tears stained his mother’s cheeks. Her hair had fallen free from her usual ponytail to tangle around her face in wild waves. The streaks of silver were clearly visible now. Since he had fallen sick she seemed to have aged twenty years.
“Do not do this,” she pleaded softly of her husband. “Nishimura-san—”
“Cannot help him,” Kazuhiro finished for her. His words were as hard as stone. “This is the only way.”
“He is our son! And you would condemn him to this!”
“It will save his life,” Kazuhiro gestured to the two men – whom were neighbours of the Takata’s – standing behind him. “It is a great gift, Natsumi.”
“How can you call it a gift? It is a curse!”
Koji watched helplessly as the two younger men seized his mother and dragged her from his line of sight and back into shadow. He could make out her further protests and sobs for a few moments. A cry pierced the calm of the room. Then silence followed.
Alpha Heat by Leta Blake
Chapter One
His stomach twisting in a giant knot, Xan climbed out of his car in front of Jason and Vale’s blue clapboard house on Oak Avenue. He gazed at the home, noting the fresh coat of paint, the impeccable front lawn and gardens, and the little rocking chairs on the front porch, complete with cheerful cushions. Jason and Vale had nested hard since they’d collided with each other as Érosgápe in the library of Mont Nessadare University four years ago.
Xan forced away the dull, familiar pang that was part jealousy and part longing for a love like that. He’d been about to leave his symbolic corner office within the largest division of his father’s business on High Street to head home for the day, but after hearing Jason’s shaking voice and urgent plea, he’d driven over to his best friend’s house directly.
All three of their lives were so different now from those pre-imprint halcyon days. Sometimes Xan barely recognized himself in the mirror. But one thing never changed: he was Jason’s best friend, and he would be there for him through thick and thin.
Frighteningly, things seemed to have gone thin again, because Jason had sounded panicked when Xan picked up the phone an hour earlier. He’d requested Xan come by as soon as possible, refusing to give further details.
Approaching the front door, he stepped back in surprise as it swung open before he’d even had a chance to knock. Jason ushered him inside. His blond hair was messy, and his face very pale. Worse, his long, lanky frame trembled beneath his wrinkled suit. He obviously hadn’t changed since returning from his new job at his father’s shipping business, having set aside his passion for science to fulfill family duty, the same way Xan had when the time came for him to step up.
Xan straightened his own bow tie anxiously as he followed Jason down the hall toward Vale’s study with a sinking feeling in his gut. He hadn’t seen Jason this distraught in years, not since he’d settled things with his older Érosgápe omega, Vale Aman, and settled into domestic bliss. The knot in his gut tightened.
The sun shone through the wide back windows of Vale’s dusty, brick-floored study, but the profusion of colorful, autumnal leaves in the well-tended garden didn’t soften the tense atmosphere at all.
“Glad you could join us,” Vale said softly. His green eyes were red-rimmed and his lips, set in his handsomely trimmed dark beard, appeared dry.
Xan’s throat closed up as he took in Jason and Vale’s other assembled guests—Rosen, Yosef, and—shit—Urho. All held places of high esteem in the couple’s life, and all looked as shaky as Xan felt.
“Sorry if I kept everyone waiting,” Xan said, swallowing thickly. “But I came as soon as I got Jason’s call.”
“And how’s Caleb?” Vale asked, like the entire room wasn’t about to explode with anxiety around them.
“Caleb’s good.” Nervously, he babbled on, “Well, he wasn’t feeling well this morning, so I had to run to the drug store for a tonic for him, which made me late to work, and so it was harder to escape this afternoon.”
“It’s all right,” Vale said with eerie calm from his perch on the leather wingback chair he preferred. “Tell Caleb we hope he gets well soon.” His face was even paler than usual, and his lips drew into a tight, false smile.
Jason took his place rigidly behind Vale, his blond hair flopping onto his forehead and his blue eyes bright with some wild emotion.
Vale nodded toward the sofa. “Rosen just arrived, too.”
Xan cast a glance toward Rosen, the ridiculously dark and handsome half of Vale’s best friends, a beta couple sitting closely together on the leather sofa. Rosen’s lover, Yosef, sat at his side with their hands intertwined, a miserable expression on his face. Yosef’s impeccably sculpted white hair and beard gave away that he was quite a few years older than Rosen, but they were still an unfailingly attractive couple. Vale had been close with them for years.
Xan ran a sweaty palm over his own limp hair. If they were in attendance looking so worried, the news he’d been summoned to hear must be that Vale or Jason was very sick.
“So what’s going on?” Xan asked, unable to keep quiet a moment longer. “What the hell’s happening?” Urho stepped out of the shadows. Xan gulped.
Urho was tall, muscled, and full of that strong, alpha energy that Xan craved like a kind of air he was denied the right to breathe. The flames in the fireplace played on Urho’s dark skin and highlighted his salt-and-pepper hair, making Xan’s squirmy gut twist with highly inappropriate lust.
“I’ve been asked to impart the news,” Urho said, solemnly. “It’s both an honor and a burden, but one Jason and Vale have asked me to bear—”
“Just tell us,” Xan interrupted, a bolt of surprise going through him. He normally danced around Urho, tongue-tied and anxious, saying all the wrong things, but tonight he wasn’t going to even try keeping his mouth shut. He had to know why his best friend looked like he’d just been handed a death sentence.
Urho’s chin came up, and he gazed at Xan for a long, calm moment before nodding. “All right. As it turns out, Vale, against all odds, and despite Jason’s best efforts, is pregnant.”
The silence in the room echoed off the windows and buzzed in Xan’s ear like a fly. Jason’s shoulders collapsed, and he ducked his head to hide his face, even as he reached to squeeze Vale’s shoulders, giving support as Vale’s alpha.
“Excuse me?” Xan said, blinking between Vale and Jason. “Did you say that Vale is pregnant?”
“I did.” Urho’s strong mouth drew into a straight line and he regarded Xan seriously. “This is obviously a problem, one that is both private and communal, in that we all love and admire Jason and Vale, and will—”
“What in wolf’s own hell, Jason?” Xan snapped, interrupting Urho without a thought. “You know he can’t have children. Why would you knock him up?”
Jason didn’t lift his head, and Xan almost didn’t make out his muffled response. “It was an accident.”
“An accident?” Xan scoffed.
Vale raised his palm. “What’s done is done. Now all that’s left is to deal with what’s happened.”
“You’ll have an abortion, obviously,” Xan said, nodding firmly and casting an approving glance toward Urho.
He’d been there when Urho had performed the surgery on Jason’s pater that had saved the man’s life four years earlier. He also knew that Urho was the doctor responsible for performing an abortion on Vale when he was a young, unmatched omega.
There was no doubt what should happen now. Given Vale’s physical scars from that first abortion, he couldn’t sustain a pregnancy, nor survive one himself. Everyone knew that. It was part of what had nearly cost Jason and Vale their contract despite their Érosgápe bond. Jason’s parents had wanted him to take on a surrogate omega instead so that he might have a child, since Vale had no hope of giving him one.
“No,” Vale whispered. “That’s not going to happen this time.”
“Excuse me?” Yosef asked, his white eyebrows shooting to his hairline. “What are you saying, Vale?”
Rosen straightened where he sat, gripping Yosef’s hand until his knuckles went white. Xan wished he’d taken a seat when he first entered. He felt a little woozy where he stood with Vale’s denial echoing in his ears.
“Please,” Jason whispered. “Please reconsider.”
Vale shook his head. “Urho’s examined me, and he thinks—”
“I don’t care what he thinks!” Jason exclaimed, coming around to kneel at Vale’s feet. “I only want you. I don’t need this from you. I don’t even want a ch—”
Vale put a hand over his mouth. “Shush, before you say something you’ll regret.”
Jason’s blue eyes went wet, and he ducked his head, resting his forehead on Vale’s knee. He shuddered as Vale ran his fingers through his blond hair soothingly, and Xan felt the echo of Jason’s trembling in his own knees.
“I don’t understand,” Yosef said again. “Vale can’t survive pregnancy. We all know that.”
“Historically, that was true,” Urho said. “Before Jason.”
“So you’re saying things have changed?” Rosen murmured, lifting his chin, dark with late afternoon stubble flecked with some blue paint he hadn’t entirely scrubbed free. In all likelihood, he’d been pulled away from his oil painting by a phone call similar to the one Xan received.
Urho said, “For reasons that are best kept private, it does seem that there is a new elasticity to Vale’s scar tissue and passage that wasn’t there before. I have several theories as to why that is, but the fact remains that it is, unexpectedly, true.”
“I can’t carry to full term, most likely,” Vale said so calmly that Xan wanted to punch him. Jason scooted closer, burying his face further in Vale’s lap, his body shaking as Vale went on. “So Urho will induce the labor early and we’ll hope the child survives.”
“That’s sick,” Xan spat. “You can’t do that. Not to Jason.” He nodded at Jason where he was curled by his omega’s feet. “Look at him. Think of what losing you would do to him.”
Vale’s green eyes softened. “I think of almost nothing else.”
“Could have fooled me.”
Vale seemed to barely restrain a flare of temper, but he held it back. “It hasn’t been an easy decision, but I trust Urho. He wouldn’t put the odds on me surviving if he didn’t believe it with his whole heart.”
Jason lifted his head then, his face blotchy with tears and his mouth wobbly. “He doesn’t put odds on you surviving, he puts odds on you probably not dying, and that’s not at all the same thing.”
“Darling, you can’t ask me to give this up. Unplanned as it was, as terrified as we both are, this is our only hope. This one, beautiful mistake that we’d never, ever make again.”
“Don’t get poetic on me,” Jason whispered fiercely. “You’re willing to risk destroying yourself—us, me—for something that, according to Urho, is just a bundle of cells with a tiny little heartbeat.”
“But he’s ours,” Vale said dreamily. “Our bodies knitted together to make a new life. How can we choose to end it?”
“You sound like Pater.”
“No, your pater admitted he had no hope of living through the birth. I plan to follow all of Urho’s prescriptions to the letter. I intend to live to see our child born, to hold him, and raise him into a fine young man. To see you reflected in him, and myself, too. I won’t be giving up so easily.”
“So why are we here?” Yosef asked gently, his hands still twined with Rosen’s and his expression grave.
“Because we’ll need your support,” Vale said. “Jason, especially.”
“No, you, especially,” Jason whispered. “You must be cared for every moment of every day.”
“Ridiculous. I’m not an invalid.” He shrugged. “Later, as the months pass, yes, I will need to be careful, but right now I’m as fit as a fiddle. I can continue my work—”
“No!” Jason snarled. “I won’t have those idiot alphas at Mont Nessadare scenting you and knowing you’re pregnant. That you’re fragile.” He shook his head. “You’ll take another leave of absence.”
Xan sucked in a deep breath, and, yes, there beneath Vale’s usual scent was a new one, something that was a bit like damp earth, seaweed, and the iron scent of blood. The scent of Jason’s baby growing inside, tucked away, cells multiplying by the second, feeding on Vale’s life force to grow his own.
An urge to throttle Vale rushed through Xan, an irrational desire to hold him down and force him to concede that this pregnancy, this self-proclaimed mistake, needed to be terminated. But another part of him scented Jason’s genes in the child, and a tender protectiveness rose up in him, an urge to take care of his best friend’s omega and their tiny new babe.
“We’ll need your help,” Vale said, meeting everyone’s eye one by one as he brought Jason’s head down into his lap again, gently tracing his ear to calm him. “I can’t say when or exactly how, but you’re the friends we know we can count on for anything.”
“We’re always here for you,” Rosen agreed.
“For you and Jason both,” Yosef said grimly.
“You can count on me,” Xan added, lifting his chin, loathe to be left out. “For anything at all. If I can provide comfort or support, I’m happy to do it. And Caleb will want to help, too.”
“Thank you,” Vale said as he rubbed Jason’s shoulders. “We’re struggling with this, but we’ll be all right.”
Jason rose then, wiping a hand over his face, rubbing away tears. “We wanted you to find out from us directly, face-to-face.”
“And your parents?” Yosef asked.
“Already know,” Jason replied, but the curt tone and the way he mashed his full lips together made it clear he didn’t intend to say more on that subject right now.
Rosen and Yosef were the first to depart. Yosef hugged Jason and whispered something to Vale about pulling legal paperwork together regarding his health care in the event that Jason wasn’t able to make decisions. Vale nodded and then accepted a hug from Rosen, too.
Urho hung back from the goodbyes, clearly preparing to stay a while longer. His broad shoulders and chest stretched out his suit jacket nicely. Xan licked his lips, letting his gaze linger. He’d admired Urho physically and as a man since he’d witnessed the way he handled Jason’s pater’s miscarriage and the aftermath four years ago.
Physically strong and mentally sharp, Urho was a bit old fashioned perhaps, but something about the way he moved in the world—with confidence and certainty—left Xan’s throat dry with lust.
Shameful, illegal, and unholy lust.
Two alphas together were an abomination, and Urho was conservative enough to never entertain the idea and kind enough to have no desire to exert power over another in a flare of sexual alpha expression. That sadistic power play Xan lived to find in another alpha, the sexual thrill he couldn’t get enough of, no matter how dangerous, was the sort of thing Urho would never offer.
Rosen and Yosef crowded near Jason and Vale, giving comfort and reassurances, and extending promises. Xan didn’t plan to linger, but he didn’t want to leave without talking to Urho alone. Catching Urho’s eye, he nodded toward the bank of wide windows across the room.
Xan reached the windows first and opened the sash to let in some fresh air. He frowned when Urho came behind him and closed it.
“It’s damp out. It won’t do for Vale to get a chill right now.”
“Is he under house arrest then?”
“No, of course not.” Urho let out a frustrated sigh. “I only want to keep him safe.”
“That’s Jason’s job,” Xan said, narrowing his eyes.
Urho’s devotion to Vale pricked. It was inappropriate at best and demonstrated designs on another alpha’s omega at worst. But the reason it nettled him so much had more to do with his own thwarted desire for another alpha to treat him with half as much regard and protection. And if that alpha were a man like Urho? It’d be a dream come true.
But that was what made it all so infuriating. He’d never have the parts to inspire an alpha’s devotion. He’d never go into heat. Never experience the multiple orgasm potentials of an omega. Never bear a child. No, instead he was an alpha himself. Never mind that he didn’t want to be and could barely stand to fulfill his role as such.
“What’s your true feeling on this?” Xan asked, shoving aside all the uncomfortable, illicit feelings and thoughts that swamped him whenever he was around Urho. “Will he make it?”
“I can’t promise anything, but he has a decent chance.”
“Decent isn’t good enough.”
“A strong chance,” Urho corrected, his brow lowering and his calm, dark eyes growing troubled. “Believe me, if I could swear to his safety to relieve everyone’s mind, I would in a heartbeat. But I’m a cautiously optimistic doctor, not a fortuneteller.”
“Perhaps we should consult one of those from the Calitan district,” Xan hissed. “Their word is probably as solid as yours.”
Urho’s shoulders snapped back. “Your mouth will get you in trouble one day, pup. You’re talking to an alpha almost twenty years your senior with military history and a license to practice medicine. I’d say I have a good deal more authority than a fringe spiritualist living on the ill-gotten profits of spit-gummed hope and lies.”
Xan rolled his eyes.
“If you were an omega, I’d take you over my knee,” Urho whispered, glancing toward Jason and Vale. “I’d do it even now, alpha or not, if I weren’t concerned about upsetting Vale.”
Xan’s cock stirred, and his heartbeat quickened. An urge to get in Urho’s face gripped him. Perhaps Urho wasn’t beyond alpha aggression after all. But now wasn’t the time for Xan to indulge in his fantasies or push an older, more powerful alpha’s buttons. Urho was right about that much, at least.
“You called me over to insult me?” Urho raised a brow, dark eyes sharpening.
Xan shook his head. “I wanted your unguarded opinion.”
“You already have it.” Urho’s mouth drew into a flat line. The air between them grew heavy and thick. Xan held Urho’s gaze until Urho jerked it away. Urho’s cheeks darkened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed before stalking off to rejoin the others.
Xan’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t know why he sabotaged every conversation he had with Urho, and yet he did. Unbidden, the memory of similar exchanges over the last four years—Urho intoning an opinion and Xan stupidly challenging it—came to mind, going all the way back to the vacation by the sea their small group of friends had taken the summer after Vale and Jason had imprinted, and long before Xan had chosen to contract with Caleb.
Dissatisfied and itching for something he’d never have, Xan frowned as Urho offered to walk Rosen and Yosef out to catch their taxi. Xan waved his goodbyes to the betas and caught another one of Urho’s scowls before the little group left the study to head out into the damp autumn afternoon.
Alone with Jason and Vale now, Xan approached them. Jason stood by Vale’s leather wingback chair, a young, stormy sentinel guarding his beloved. Xan summoned a sympathetic smile and knew the moment it slid away from him, revealing his discombobulated confusion.
Vale gripped Xan’s hand. “Don’t look like that. Jason will need your strength.”
Xan huffed. “Not half as much as he needs you, period. But I’ll do what I can.”
Vale’s smile was wry, but he turned to Jason and said sweetly, “Why don’t you walk Xan out? If it’s all the same to you, I’ll stay here and get comfy by the fire.”
“Are you cold?” Jason asked. He grabbed a throw blanket from the leather sofa and carefully draped it over Vale. Vale didn’t look cold to Xan, but Jason took his time wrapping him up and tucking the blanket in carefully.
Xan knew his own omega, Caleb, enjoyed being taken care of in these small ways—truly any human did, no matter their gender. But between Érosgápe, the caretaking dance was instinctual, uncontrollable, and a testament to their bond. It was touching to see Jason and Vale engaging in it. Xan wished, not for the first time, that he was an omega and had a loving alpha to take care of him.
Zephyr, the gray cat that Vale had owned long before Jason had come along, slipped into the room. Her silvery fur was clean and fluffy, and she meowed conversationally as she trotted toward them.
When she leapt onto Vale’s lap, his fingers slipped into her fur, and Xan wondered how soft she must be. He’d never had the honor of petting her. Like with Urho, she tended to hiss at him and lunge as though to bite whenever he drew close. She adored Jason, though.
Jason leaned down to whisper something to Vale and then turned his attention to Xan, a wrecked, pitiful smile on his lips. “Thanks for coming. I’ll walk you out.”
“I’m parked just out front,” Xan said, stepping through into the hall.
Urho passed them on his way back from seeing off Rosen and Yosef. Xan’s gut tightened, but Urho just nodded to him, offering no true goodbye or good wishes.
“What were you talking to Urho about?” Jason asked as they exited into the cool, damp, fall afternoon. The trees were starting to lose their green and turn lovely shades of orange, yellow, red, and rust.
“Just an honesty check. I wanted to see if he changed his story about Vale’s chances when it was only the two of us.”
“And?” Jason’s body tensed, his gaze raking over Xan’s face, looking for the truth.
For once, Xan wasn’t even sure what answer Jason hoped for more. “Urho would never put Vale in jeopardy. He’s half in love with him still.”
It stung to even say it. What had Vale done to earn both Jason and Urho’s affections? Aside from being born an omega with all the right scents and lures, all the appeal and seduction of his pheromones, and the promise of a delicious heat mating? His personality was so-so, his face handsome enough, but old. Why did he get everything Xan had ever wanted?
He clamped down on his jealousy and forced himself to admit the truth: Vale’s a good man. Charming, funny, talented, devoted, and worthy in many ways. Any alpha would want him.
Why didn’t that admission make him feel any better?
As they approached his new lime-green car, Xan changed the topic. “What did your parents say about all this when you told them?”
“My parents agree with Vale,” Jason whispered bitterly. His eyes flashed, and he shook his head. “I couldn’t believe it when Father said he thought Vale was making the right choice. After all he’s been through with Pater in the past! But somehow, he agrees that Vale is different. I think he feels it’s worth the risk this time because it’s not his omega. And because this is their only hope of a grandchild.” Jason’s eyes grew wet again. “This awful, horrible mistake.”
Xan knew Jason’s parents, especially his father, longed for a grandchild, but he couldn’t imagine Miner Hoff encouraging Vale to risk his life for one. He didn’t say that, though, and instead asked what he’d wanted to know from the moment he heard of Vale’s pregnancy. “How did it happen?”
“It’s a long story.”
Xan punched Jason’s shoulder lightly. “Sum it up.”
A long sigh rushed out of Jason, and his shoulders collapsed even more. His eyes closed as if he could block out whatever he was about to say the way he could block out sunlight. “We were at his parents’ old cabin in the mountains, the one I finally had refurbished to sell.”
“I remember. That was earlier this month.”
“Right. And there was that early mountain snow storm.”
“Knocked out the roads leading up to the cabin,” Xan said, recalling how subdued Jason had been since returning from that trip. Pieces started to come together. “You guys were stuck.”
“For five days while the crews worked to dig out the roads. The phones were down. It was just us. All alone. It was wonderful at first. Romantic and fun. But then…” Jason shook his head, anguish peeking through again. “It’s been happening more and more as he gets older.”
“An unexpected heat?”
“Out of the blue. No warning. I—” Jason’s Adam’s apple bobbed convulsively, his eyes going distant and dark. “I tried to hold back. There were no condoms. I hadn’t packed any. I didn’t expect—” His voice broke. “The roads were blocked. He was screaming in pain. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Of course, you didn’t.” Xan touched his arm gently, but Jason pulled away. Xan tried not to let that hurt.
“I’ve spent the last few weeks praying for a miracle. Not every omega gets pregnant with every heat. I told myself there was every chance he’d be safe.”
Given that not every heat produced a viable pregnancy, Jason certainly had good reason to hope. Xan himself was now all too familiar with fruitless heats. He shuddered, remembering the only one he’d endured with Caleb so far. Horror streaked through him again along with traumatic memories of his kind, loving omega on his back, screaming in agony while Xan had tried his best—and failed—to satisfy him.
Thankfully they had a few more months before another heat was due. Though Xan still didn’t know how he was going to handle it alone. He’d failed so miserably last time.
And wolf-god help them if Caleb started having unexpected heats, too. Though Caleb was only five years older than Xan, so hopefully that unpredictable period of his life was still some time into the future. With any luck, by then Xan would have solved his problem. Because it was his problem, not Caleb’s, and he needed to come up with a solid plan—for them both.
“I let him down,” Jason whispered.
“I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t have an Érosgápe connection with Caleb, and he wasn’t even in love with his contracted omega like many alphas tended to be, but he cared about Caleb like a family member or a dear friend. He couldn’t imagine the burden of guilt Jason carried now, much less how terrified he must have been at the idea of possibly losing Vale. Pregnancy and birth were dangerous for omegas in the best of health and the prime of life.
What an idiot Vale was! He should allow Urho to abort the baby! But Xan couldn’t be too surprised by Vale’s selfishness. He’d always known Vale wasn’t good enough for Jason. He’d said so the day Jason imprinted on him, hadn’t he?
And he’d only just started to think maybe he’d been wrong about his initial assessment, what with Jason being so blissfully happy, and Vale being so damned good to Jason. But maybe this situation just proved he’d been right from the beginning.
“I tried my best,” Jason went on, his voice rough with emotion. “But I failed him. He should hate me, but he says he doesn’t. He insists he loves me more than life, but he still wants to have our child.”
“Of course, he loves you.” Xan’s irritation prickled again. Who wouldn’t love Jason? Sweet and strong, dedicated and devoted, he was one of the dreamiest alphas Xan had ever known.
He’d been in love with Jason himself back before Vale came into their lives, and he’d only gotten over it by taking up a bad habit so consuming that it drowned out everything else…
Xan’s cheeks warmed, and his knees went weak with yearning. Temptation snuck in, hot and sharp, clouding his senses with the urge to satisfy needs too long unmet.
He could make a detour on the way home. Get a hit of the darkness he craved. A hit that would rattle his teeth and bruise his body to be sure, yet Xan could never seem to get enough of it.
He shook his head free of the fog and focused on Jason again. His heart ached at the terror he saw in his best friend’s eyes. Reaching out, he cupped Jason’s cheek. “Vale loves you just as much as you love him. You’re Érosgápe. And if things get dangerous for him, I’m sure he’ll make the right choice.”
“Get dangerous? They already are dangerous, Xan.” Jason blew out a frustrated breath. “Vale’s got scar tissue inside, a lot of scar tissue. I feel it every time I fuck him. Urho says it’s grown more flexible since I came into Vale’s life. Something about me knotting him so long during heats and fisting him regularly between…” His cheeks flushed scarlet, and he ducked his head. “Urho says the scar tissue has been stretched out, that it’s not so tight as it used to be. The anti-inflammatory properties of alpha semen have also contributed, he claims. But I don’t know if I can trust him.”
Urho’s dark eyes, somber and serious, flashed in Xan’s mind. “Of course, you can trust him. He would never hurt Vale.”
“You said he’s still half in love with him,” Jason said, nodding thoughtfully. “I’ve told you, right? Before I came along, they were lovers?”
“Yes.” Because Vale gets to have everything.
“I don’t think Vale ever truly returned his feelings,” Jason said, relief lacing his words. “If he had, then I don’t know that I could see Urho as a friend, especially since he still cares for Vale.”
Xan’s stomach soured with the familiar, churning jealousy he’d been struggling to fight off. If that was true, then Vale was an even bigger fool than Xan had realized. And luckier than any worn out, old omega deserved to be.
He swallowed the nastiness down again. It was poison in his gut. He didn’t want to have these feelings and unkind thoughts anymore. He wanted to let go of envy and regret, because he liked Vale, and Vale was good for Jason. He truly was.
But Vale had everything he’d ever wanted and didn’t deserve it any more than Xan did. Less even, maybe, for all Xan knew. And now…
He bit down on his cheek, punishment for his black-hearted thoughts. He knew Vale had endured his share of suffering in the past, but Xan allowed envy to cloud his empathy too much and too often. He didn’t like that side of himself and vowed to improve it. “If you need me, just call. I’ll be here for you.”
Jason slung his arms around Xan’s shoulders, collapsing against him in a hug that went on a long time. Xan breathed in the once-familiar scent of Jason’s skin and hair. He still longed for what they’d had together, but he’d learned to live without it. For better or for worse. Still, he lingered in Jason’s arms, hoping to give as much comfort as he got from their embrace.
Once Jason released him, Xan promised once again to help in whatever way he could. He smoothed Jason’s hair and sent him on his way back into the house. “Go be with him. You need each other now.”
As Jason mounted the steps to the front porch, Xan climbed into his car and, after a very short debate with himself, pointed it toward the darkness he’d come to depend on. It would blot out all longing and envy, all loneliness and want. It would replace those miseries with sensation and fear, with humiliation and pain.
One more fix wouldn’t kill him. Unless it did.
And even that idea didn’t scare him the way it should.
Talos by DG Carothers
Chapter One
Primi Capitis, Primus Territory
Saturday, 6th August 47 Aevum Magia
Talos tapped the tip of his black oxford against the back of the prostrate human's head while the point of the stiletto heel dug into the base of his skull. It would take only the slightest pressure to impale the pathetic, whining human. Talos scanned the human’s mind and determined that he had told all that he knew.
With a flick of his wrist, a guard appeared. Talos removed his foot and stepped over the human. The guard grabbed the human by the back of the shirt and yanked him to his feet then pushed him forward out of the office, leaving Talos with the news the human had brought.
The heels of his shoes clicked on the marble floor as he walked out onto the balcony overlooking his city. Holographic ads played across the night sky; the whirl of electric engines zoomed below as they crisscrossed between the towering buildings. Down and to the right, his colosseum in all its ancient and modern glory shown bright even amongst the numerous lights and flashes coming from the main strip that bisected the downtown area in front of his building.
He narrowed his eyes at the building as if he could see through its many layers down into the cells where this would-be assassin plotted his demise.
"Your fathers would be proud."
The words broke Talos' thoughts but didn't startle him. Majid was his shadow and had been for over two thousand years. The Persian towered over him even in his heels. The gentle touch on his shoulder belied the strength Majid held in his lithe frame. Talos looked into the violet eyes of his best friend who now focused on the city before them as he had.
"One hundred and fifty years, Majid." He gazed back at the city. "Some days I'm angry with my father for not leaving Japan when I told him to. But Papa was as determined as Father was to stay and hold our territory. We all underestimated the humans' thirst for destruction." His tone turned hard as the pain of losing almost his whole family washed over him. It was a familiar pain now, but one that hadn't lessened in the last century and a half.
"We should have moved then but the council hadn’t believed. They were still too trapped in their conviction to stay hidden as they had for millennia. But look at the greatness we have created in less than fifty years. The world could have looked like this without the destruction the human vermin wrought against it." Talos closed his eyes as the memories angered him.
He slammed the side of his fist on top of the concrete wall of the balcony. Cracks splintered down and across while bits dug into the meat of his palm. Talos shook his hand out and wiped the concrete crumbles off. He straightened his navy suit jacket and then the cuffs of the light blue shirt beneath. Majid squeezed his shoulder gently. "Primus was a legendary vampyr, and you are living up to his legacy. Your accomplishments are not anything to laugh about. He would be immensely proud at the hand you've had in shaping this world and leading the way to bring us out of the darkness and into the light."
Talos took the comfort Majid offered as he prepared mentally for what was coming tonight.
"Sire." Gideon's rich Spanish baritone broke their reverie, and Talos turned toward the doorway. "I have the information you requested on the resistance operative."
Talos nodded as he walked back inside. "Anything interesting?"
"No, the usual." Gideon fell in step beside Talos as he continued through his mansion of a penthouse and to the elevator at the entrance.
"We'll leave him where he's at. He's already set to be part of tonight's entertainment. Let's see how good of a show he will give us." Talos smirked.
The T-shaped Primus Industries Headquarters housed their casino and hotel on the lower levels, corporate offices, and housing for the supernatural employees above that. Talos' mansion occupied the top four floors. The walk from Headquarters to the replica of the great Roman Colosseum through the underground tunnels was uneventful as it should have been. They entered the private elevator, and Talos tapped his foot to the Scottish folk music that played while it ascended. The elevator stopped and the doors opened into the large suite overlooking the arena.
Three tiers of seats at the front of the private box were exposed on three sides, save the columns on the sides—some for structural integrity and some just for show. The noise of the crowd hit Talos as he stepped out and he was happy to see his family enjoying themselves. His sons in attendance stood and he made his way down to the bottom tier. Starting with his youngest son, Bellamy, he greeted and spoke a few words with each. Majid followed behind him, ever his guardian and almost more a piece of him than his sons who had his blood flowing through their veins.
Only half his sons were in attendance physically. The other half were in their homes across his territory but had their holographic images projected into the box to watch the night's events. Losing so many of his siblings in one strike had taught him a valuable lesson. A gathering of his bloodline like tonight was risky enough as it was in Talos' eyes, but they needed things like this from time to time. To let loose and bond with their family and revel in what it means to be of House Primus.
Talos should have changed the name now that his father was gone, but he couldn't bring himself to and no one from the other houses argued the matter.
Talos spent a few minutes with each son, but as he got to the third tier, he noticed an extra seat had been placed between his throne and Gideon's seat. A wide smile broke out on his face and he almost skipped his remaining children to greet his brother. But ever the stickler for giving his children his attention as equally as he could, he continued with the few sons that were left. Gideon tried to rush their time together, but Talos hugged him close, knowing he was to thank for his brother's presence.
The half-giant vampire grabbed Talos with one hand around his waist and brought him in for a hug. Talos squeaked and feebly pounded on Odin's chest before giving in. He wrapped his arms around his favorite and only sibling left.
"Odin, you big oaf, you're going to break me in front of all my children."
Odin laughed a deep rumble that shook Talos where he was. "Little brother, I have missed you." Odin finally put Talos down.
He huffed as he straightened his suit. "I thought we agreed not to ever be in the same place. That it was too dangerous."
"It was time, brother. My territory in Europe is in Xerces' fine hands. I'm here to stay for a while."
"What?" Talos didn't bother to hide his shock. "Odin, you can't. It's too dangerous."
"It’ll be fine. You worry too much." Odin sat, the chair Gideon had requested creaked with the weight of the albino giant. The cobalt blue eyes were now level with Talos'.
"There is a resistance assassin down in the gladiator cells this very minute plotting on how they will win these games and get close enough to me." Talos scowled and resisted the urge to wag his finger.
Odin laughed again. "You're just playing with your food. Sit, brother, and let the games begin. It's been a century since I saw you last. And while I understand your paranoia, especially on the anniversary of my sire and your father's death, it is equally important that we do not forget each other."
"Fine." Talos whipped around and stood in front of his throne to address his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so forth, for the whole arena was filled with his progeny. Thousands of his bloodline filled the seats and with a single chime they all fell silent.
"Majid, do not think I didn't see how you slipped by without saying hi, my little Persian firecracker," Odin whispered behind him. And with the excellent hearing their kind had, probably half the arena heard as well judging by the muffled laughs of his sons below him.
Talos cleared his throat and spoke. "Today marks one hundred and fifty years since my fathers, along with most of my siblings, were killed by humans too stubborn to sit and talk. My blood runs through each one of you and many of you were with me when we lost one of the greatest beings this world has ever seen.
"Primus Kentusrix witnessed civilizations rise and fall and yet he stood. If it were not for Primus, none of us would be here. And were I not in this very city that day, laying down the groundwork for the territory we now have—a territory that stretches from Alaska all the way to the tip of Mexico and from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific ocean—I would have been at my fathers' side. All it took was one bomb, one flash of light, one plane, and one human to order the end of the greatest vampyr I have ever known.
"But it was not the end of his house. The House of Primus was not destroyed and in the face of great loss and tragedy, we rose. And when it looked like humanity was going to do far worse than it had ever done before, all of you stood by me when I said no."
Talos paused, looking out at all the eyes trained on him. The anger and conviction he felt on the day he stood his ground against his fellow council members returned to the surface.
"We could not just stand back and watch the humans destroy this planet. Could we have fled to other planets, planes, dimensions even? Sure, we could have done that and left the humans to their own destruction, but I was born here on this planet. All of you were born here and you stood by me while we took our planet back." Talos mimed reaching out and grabbing something and brought his closed fist to his chest.
"While we are still many years away from finding complete balance between nature and all the races that inhabit this planet, we have made strides in undoing the massive damage the humans did while we let them be in charge." Talos let his arm fall back to his side, hand still clenched with his emotions riding high.
"A hundred and fifty years ago, I lost almost everything that I held dear in this world. But House of Primus did not fall, and it will not fall. We are the legacy of Primus Kentusrix and his loving mate Vesryn Trafir. Together we will take the House of Primus into the next century. And we. Will. THRIVE!"
Everyone stood as one and chanted as loud as they could. "Primus! Primus! Primus!"
Talos took his seat, his back straight, and crossed one slim leg over the other. A single chime sounded, and the arena quieted down again. Talos raised a hand in the air. "Let the games and the feast begin."
Cheers rose again, and the announcer took over as doorways were opened and humans were led into each row of seats. They were naked and clean but subdued with mild drugs.
Soon the sounds of metal clashing and men grunting carried up into Talos' box, which mixed with the sounds of feeding and sex. Blood scented the air and the doors to his box opened again. Several attendants carried trays and platters and placed them in front of Talos and Majid.
"That looks good, brother, but I still prefer my meals alive and squirming." Odin slapped the ass of the man he currently had on his dick with a laugh.
Talos looked at Odin while his food was arranged in front of him. He had straightforward tastes. His rare steak was probably from a fancy cow, but it was cooked simply. "I like that too, but I like this first."
The sounds around Talos had his dick half-hard, and he was looking forward to dessert but didn't want to rush the beautiful meal before him. Majid ate his steak slowly while a man sat between his legs and sucked on his cock.
"Gideon?"
"Yes, Sire?" Despite the noise levels, their voices were pitched low, so only those in the immediate area would hear.
"Tell me when our would-be assassin is on the field. I look forward to seeing how he fairs."
"Of course." Talos didn't need to see the smirk that played across his eldest son's features.
The Selkie Prince's Forbidden Mate by JJ Masters
Marlin, Selkie prince and fourth alpha-born son of King Solomon, and, not to mention, complete utter fool, stood staring up at the little cabin in the woods.
He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the aroma of the forest surrounding him. That didn’t slow the runaway train that was his heartbeat.
Nor did it help his cock that flexed in his pants at the anticipation of doing something so wrong, but also so... desired.
It wasn’t necessarily wrong for a Selkie to find pleasure with a human... as long as that human was willing. But what made this feel iniquitous was that the man who lived in that little cabin in the woods was the former lover of his oldest brother, Kai.
His heartbeat went from racing to thumping loudly in his ears as the front screen door opened and the subject of his recent inappropriate dreams stood staring back at him while leaning against the door frame.
Dominic. Nic for short.
He was long and lean, his body built like a normal human. His shoulders were broad, his hips narrow. Even from where Marlin stood, he could see Nic’s dark hair appeared to be a ruffled mess, which made him even more attractive.
Maybe Marlin had disturbed the man’s afternoon nap.
“You just going to stand there? Like a stalker?”
His voice was deep, smooth, and all that delicious goodness swirled around Marlin, pulling him forward like he was a marlin being reeled in on a fisherman’s line. He wanted to fight it, but he couldn’t.
He couldn’t because he was exhausted from doing just that... resisting his desires. There was something about Nic...
Maybe it was his expressive brown eyes, and his attitude. Strong-willed, sometimes crass, but definitely sensual at other times.
Like that little bit of time Marlin spent with him the last time he was here. When his brother Zale was searching for his omega, when Nic had hid Finn in his home. While Zale was sneaking around inside the cabin searching for his mate, Marlin had kept the human occupied.
And it was then that he knew he was doomed. Knew he’d eventually show back up on the man’s doorstep no matter how many times he told himself it was wrong.
Plenty of other humans or betas were willing to take care of Marlin’s needs. But he didn’t want any of them.
He wanted Nic.
Even if it was just once. Just a simple taste. Maybe them spending a night together would exorcise the man from his system.
For the last few weeks, he couldn’t sleep through the night. No, he’d wake up in a sweat after dreaming about taking Nic, pleasuring him, making him come, then giving the human his knot.
Which never should happen.
Human males weren’t physically built to take Selkie knots. Not like an omega.
So, giving Nic his knot would only ever remain a fantasy. One that—when Marlin would wake up with a raging erection—would fuel his own release so he could go back to sleep.
But now it was happening every night. And, even worse, during the daylight hours thoughts of Nic would drift through his mind.
These thoughts of the male, the one standing on his porch and watching him intently, were interrupting his life and Marlin needed to get them to stop. Out of his brothers, he was the next prince in line to find his omega. His fated mate. Though he was in no rush, he knew the Presentation Ceremonies might begin at any time. Or at least as soon as the Selkie Seekers could find six appropriate omegas to present to him. So, he needed to concentrate on doing his duty and finding the right mate to produce pups, he should not give in to his base desires.
While Nic could never be Marlin’s mate, nor become pregnant with his heirs, he could be simply a temporary detour.
And the man did seem to show some interest the last time they were face to face.
“Marlin,” Nic called from the porch. “Why are you here? Is something wrong? Did you royals lose another omega?”
He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the aroma of the forest surrounding him. That didn’t slow the runaway train that was his heartbeat.
Nor did it help his cock that flexed in his pants at the anticipation of doing something so wrong, but also so... desired.
It wasn’t necessarily wrong for a Selkie to find pleasure with a human... as long as that human was willing. But what made this feel iniquitous was that the man who lived in that little cabin in the woods was the former lover of his oldest brother, Kai.
His heartbeat went from racing to thumping loudly in his ears as the front screen door opened and the subject of his recent inappropriate dreams stood staring back at him while leaning against the door frame.
Dominic. Nic for short.
He was long and lean, his body built like a normal human. His shoulders were broad, his hips narrow. Even from where Marlin stood, he could see Nic’s dark hair appeared to be a ruffled mess, which made him even more attractive.
Maybe Marlin had disturbed the man’s afternoon nap.
“You just going to stand there? Like a stalker?”
His voice was deep, smooth, and all that delicious goodness swirled around Marlin, pulling him forward like he was a marlin being reeled in on a fisherman’s line. He wanted to fight it, but he couldn’t.
He couldn’t because he was exhausted from doing just that... resisting his desires. There was something about Nic...
Maybe it was his expressive brown eyes, and his attitude. Strong-willed, sometimes crass, but definitely sensual at other times.Like that little bit of time Marlin spent with him the last time he was here. When his brother Zale was searching for his omega, when Nic had hid Finn in his home. While Zale was sneaking around inside the cabin searching for his mate, Marlin had kept the human occupied.
And it was then that he knew he was doomed. Knew he’d eventually show back up on the man’s doorstep no matter how many times he told himself it was wrong.
Plenty of other humans or betas were willing to take care of Marlin’s needs. But he didn’t want any of them.
He wanted Nic.
Even if it was just once. Just a simple taste. Maybe them spending a night together would exorcise the man from his system.
For the last few weeks, he couldn’t sleep through the night. No, he’d wake up in a sweat after dreaming about taking Nic, pleasuring him, making him come, then giving the human his knot.
Which never should happen.
Human males weren’t physically built to take Selkie knots. Not like an omega.
So, giving Nic his knot would only ever remain a fantasy. One that—when Marlin would wake up with a raging erection—would fuel his own release so he could go back to sleep.
But now it was happening every night. And, even worse, during the daylight hours thoughts of Nic would drift through his mind.
These thoughts of the male, the one standing on his porch and watching him intently, were interrupting his life and Marlin needed to get them to stop. Out of his brothers, he was the next prince in line to find his omega. His fated mate. Though he was in no rush, he knew the Presentation Ceremonies might begin at any time. Or at least as soon as the Selkie Seekers could find six appropriate omegas to present to him. So, he needed to concentrate on doing his duty and finding the right mate to produce pups, he should not give in to his base desires.
While Nic could never be Marlin’s mate, nor become pregnant with his heirs, he could be simply a temporary detour.
And the man did seem to show some interest the last time they were face to face.
“Marlin,” Nic called from the porch. “Why are you here? Is something wrong? Did you royals lose another omega?”
Charlie Cochet is the international bestselling author of the THIRDS series. Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Charlie enjoys the best of both worlds, from her daily Cuban latte to her passion for classic rock.
Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found devouring a book, releasing her creativity through art, or binge watching a new TV series. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.
Shari Sakurai is a British author of paranormal, horror, science fiction and fantasy novels that almost always feature a LGBTQ protagonist and/or antagonist. She has always loved to write and it is her escape from the sometimes stressful modern life!
Aside from writing, Shari enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to (loud!) music, going to rock concerts and learning more about other societies and cultures. Japanese culture is of particular interest to her and she often incorporates Japanese themes and influences into her work.
Shari loves a challenge and has taken part and won the National Novel Writing Month challenge eleven times!
Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.
D. G. Carothers is actually a dragon very cleverly disguised as a human. They are a non-binary author of LGBTQIA Romance and Urban Fantasy, who enjoys writing original and entertaining stories. They are very excited to share the worlds they've created with you.
D.G. currently lives in Tennessee with their platonic life partner, who is not a dragon. They yearn to live back in Europe and will some day. In their spare time they are addicted to losing themselves in the lovely worlds created by other authors
D.G. is committed to writing the stories they see in their head without restrictions. Love is blind and doesn't see gender, race, or sexuality.
J.J. Masters is the alter-ego of a USA Today bestselling author who writes hot, gay romance filled with heart, humor and heat. J.J. became fascinated with mpreg romance as soon as she figured out what mpreg stood for. She loves to write about "knotty" men!
You can join JJ’s FB Group. And sign up to her newsletter to keep up with exclusive content and news.
Shari Sakurai
Leta Blake
EMAIL: leta.blake.author@gmail.com
DG Carothers
EMAIL: Info@DGCarothers.com
JJ Masters
Rise & Fall by Charlie Cochet
Demon's Blood by Shari Sakurai
Alpha Heat by Leta Blake
Talos by DG Carothers
The Selkie Prince's Forbidden Mate by JJ Masters
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