“He’s why.” Aidan leant back in the bench seat. “You can call Mika or Gabe and they’ll verify what I’ve told you.”

  “They’re not answering.” The man turned a deep red when Zane snorted with laughter.

  Amusement danced in Aidan’s brown eyes as well. “They are probably taking advantage of their privacy. We’ve been there a few days, and that had to stifle their—“

  “Yeah, yeah I got it.” The sheriff ran a hand down his heated face. He turned and motioned for his partner to join them. “I’m Todd Benson, and this is—“

  “Adam Soames. Nice to meet some friends of Mika’s.” Zane and Aidan slid out of the booth and shook hands with the two men.

  If Zane hadn’t noticed the initials DVM after Adam’s name, he still would have known the man was a veterinarian, or at least worked for one. The scent of dogs and cats, as well as a few smaller and larger animals, clung to the man. Not in an offensive way, however, for which Zane was grateful.

  They invited Todd and Adam to join them and ended up having a pleasant lunch with the couple. When Zane had asked how Todd and Adam managed to live successful lives in such a small town without fear of repercussion, Todd had looked haunted for a moment. He shook his head and said that, in some ways, people in small towns could be more accepting because of the fact they tended to be tight knit communities. His partner then changed the subject, leading them away from the topic that had upset Todd.

  Zane hadn’t forgotten, though, and he figured that Gabe and Mika would be able to explain it to him. It bothered him to see the pain in Todd Benson’s eyes, but the bond the man had with his partner was almost as strong as any Zane had seen between that of shifters and their mates, though his knowledge there was extremely limited.

  After they finished their meals and parted company with Todd and Adam, Aidan and Zane decided it was time to head back to the house. Zane knew there were things he needed to talk to Mika—and Gabe as well—about, unless Aidan had…? “Did you tell them anything specific about what John did to me?”

  “No, I didn’t.” Aidan glanced at Zane then looked back at the road. “I didn’t think it was all necessary for them to know, didn’t know how much you wanted me to tell. But most importantly,” Aidan dropped one hand from the steering wheel and clasped Zane’s hand, pressing it tight to Aidan’s thigh “it wasn’t my story to tell. If and when you want to share it with Mika and Gabe, that is your decision. Only yours.”

  Zane stared at Aidan. “I don’t know if telling them all of the gory details would help. I certainly don’t see how it would help Mika learn anything about his parents.”

  Aidan shook his head. “I doubt it would.”

  “What does that mean, you doubt it? Could you be a little more vague?” Zane cringed at how petulant he sounded. When had he become such a whiny shit?

  Aidan laughed and pulled the truck off the road and onto the shoulder. He unsnapped his seatbelt, then Zane’s, and pulled Zane over to his side. Zane shivered when Aidan ducked his head and bit at the mark under the collar of his shirt.

  “I don’t think it would help. I’m just distracted because I need to taste you.”

  Aidan swooped down and took his mouth in a searing kiss that had Zane’s cock pushing past the elastic waistband of his sweats. He moaned and pressed their joined hands to his aching groin, thrusting his hips to get the friction his prick needed.

  Aidan lifted his mouth and pushed Zane until he was reclining against the passenger door. With a sharp tug, he had Zane’s prick free. Aidan crammed his hand into the sweats and cupped Zane’s balls at the same time he engulfed Zane’s cock, sucking him down until Aidan’s nose was buried in the dark nest of pubic hair. Zane didn’t have the breath to scream or even whimper when Aidan tugged on his balls and swallowed. Zane’s ass came off the seat as his hips jerked, and he came so violently his back popped as it arched. Aidan licked and sucked Zane’s prick until Zane was ready to beg him to stop.

  Only then did Aidan sit up and hitch Zane’s sweats back up. Zane started to push himself up as well but a movement outside Aidan’s door caught his eye.

  “Aidan—”

  A figure appeared and slapped a big hand on the glass, startling Zane and drawing a string of curses from Aidan. Zane clenched his fists and started to open his door to confront the idiot outside of the truck. He glanced at Aidan and stopped as he realised his mate was grinning at the hulking figure backing away from the driver’s door.

  “Aidan,” Zane began again, feeling a tad left out of the loop. “Who the hell is that?”

  Aidan shook his head and pulled Zane over for a quick kiss before cupping his chin in one big hand. “That, my dear mate, is my obnoxious brother—” Zane felt his stomach drop to his knees, “—Marcus Criswell.”

  “Oh fuck.” Zane closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. He didn’t feel ready for this, felt raw and exposed after recounting his past as well as everything that had happened recently.

  “Hey, it will be okay, I promise.” Aidan stroked Zane’s neck and down his back. “Besides, he just got a free show, so he better be damned nice—”

  Zane’s eyes flew open and he scooted as far away as he could. “You mean he… You knew he was… He… Oh God!” Zane was mortified, and even that was an understatement.

  Aidan shook his head and grabbed Zane, pulling him over just in time to keep him from tumbling out the passenger side door as someone—Zane knew it must be Marcus Criswell—opened the door.

  “What the fuck—” Zane’s sentence was cut short by Aidan’s blistering string of curses directed at his brother. Zane turned his head and found himself looking at an almost exact replica of his mate. The only immediate differences he noticed, other than scent, was that Marcus Criswell’s eyes were a darker shade of brown, nearly black, and the man sported a neat beard clipped close to his skin.

  Marcus threw up his hands and laughed. “Enough! I wasn’t going to let him fall out on his head, Aidan!”

  Aidan stopped his tirade and pulled Zane closer to his side. Zane could feel amusement warring with anger in his mate. “And just how were you going to stop him?”

  Marcus shrugged and grinned. “I would have caught him.”

  Zane felt the rumbling growl before it worked free of Aidan’s lips. He didn’t understand why Aidan was so angry. It was obvious his brother was teasing him.

  “You will not touch him.” Oh, Zane thought. That’s the problem. A little ridiculous since he was sure Marcus wouldn’t be poaching.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time we both wanted the same man.” Aidan tightened his hold on Zane.

  Zane looked at Marcus again. Okay, maybe there was a bit of…admiration in the man’s dark brown eyes, but that didn’t mean he would expect his brother to share his mate, for shit’s sake. Or that Zane would do it even if Aidan was so inclined.

  Aidan’s grip increased to the point of being painful. “I’m not.” The words were barely more than a growl.

  “Well, me neither,” Zane pushed against Aidan’s restraint. “So quit trying to break me in half already!”

  “Yes, Aidan,” Marcus reached around Zane and smacked Aidan’s thigh. “By all means, quit trying to kill the man. I wouldn’t ask you to share this one any more than I would offer to share my mate, were I so lucky to find him.”

  Share this one? Zane’s mind tried to wrap around that. “You two…uh…”

  Aidan let go of Zane and caught Marcus in the chest with an open-handed slap. “Shut up, asshole!”

  Zane shook his head. “Aidan, cut it out. It’s not like I’ve never… Well, okay, I haven’t. But I would have—before you.” Zane tacked the last two words on before Aidan’s temper could spike any higher.

  “I’m sorry.” Marcus sounded contrite, maybe even a bit ashamed, Zane thought.

  “Fine, he accepts,” Zane answered before Aidan could. He was already starting to ache from being twisted around so that none of his body came anywhere close to Marcus Criswell’s. “This is fucking ridiculous. Aidan, stop it already. I’m not meant to be bent this way.”

  Aidan loosened his grip a little but nowhere near enough. Zane glared at Aidan first, then Marcus. “Get out of the damned truck already so your crazy brother will quit trying to squeeze me to death.” Then Zane realised that he’d just snapped at the Alpha Anax, not just Aidan’s brother. “I mean—”

  Marcus chuckled and opened the door. “It’s all right. I’m here as a brother, not as the Alpha Anax.” He shut it and leant his back against it, seemingly in no hurry to leave them alone.

  Zane hoped the man didn’t carry a grudge. He pried Aidan’s arms from around him and gave his mate an irritated look. “Seriously, Aidan, don’t do that shit. You think I’m some kind of man-slut or something?”

  Aidan looked embarrassed as hell as he shook his head violently. “No! I just… The idea of someone else touching you is just wrong.” Aidan shrugged. He flashed a bashful grin. “You’ll see. If someone comes up to me and tries to touch me, you won’t like it either.”

  And Zane did see, because just hearing it pissed him off to an unreasonable degree. “Yeah, okay, I get it. But it won’t do you any good if you suffocate me while you’re being all jealous.”

  Aidan arched a pale eyebrow. “Protective, not jealous.”

  “Right.” Zane rolled his eyes. “Protective. Because that’s what I feel when I think of someone other than me groping you.” He shook his head and kissed Aidan’s cheek. “You have nothing to worry about, you know.”

  Aidan studied him with a sombre expression. “Is that right?”

  “Yeah, it is.” Zane gestured with his thumb at Marcus. “Now why don’t you find out what your brother wants so we can get back to Mika and Gabe’s and see what we can do about taking care of you?”

  Zane laughed as Aidan nodded and practically sprang from the truck. Looked like his man liked the idea of being taken care of, and Zane damn sure liked the idea of taking care of Aidan.

  Aidan shut the truck door, only then noticing the SUV that was pulled off the side of the road behind them. Christ, he’d been so lost in Zane that he hadn’t even heard or scented his brother’s approach. He stopped at the back of the truck and waited for Marcus to join him. The silly grin on his brother’s face melted away the last traces of Aidan’s anger. He reached out and hugged Marcus, grunting when his brother thumped him hard on the back a few times in return. They stepped back and looked at each other.

  “Not that I’m not glad to see you, despite wanting to beat your ass in the truck, but why are you here?” Aidan was sure the man had better things to do, being Alpha Anax and all that.

  “I haven’t been able to get a hold of you, baby brother. And some things are more important than my position, as someone pointed out to me.” Marcus nodded at Aidan.

  “I didn’t exactly point it out.” Not really, he thought.

  “Close enough. Where’s your phone?” Marcus’ voice lost its teasing tone.

  Aidan looked at his shoes, feeling like a small child who had screwed up. “I, uh, left it somewhere in the truck when my guards dropped me off here.” He looked up at Marcus and shrugged. “I kind of forgot about it. Things have been—” sexy, scary, scorching—and he was the king of alliteration,“—hectic.”

  Marcus laughed so hard Aidan thought the man was going to fall over. He finally stopped and brushed the moisture from his eyes as he looked at Aidan. “Yeah, that in the truck? Looked hectic as hell. Wish that’s what kind of hectic I had—not with your mate!” Marcus laughed again and pointed at Aidan’s fisted hands. “Geez, bro, calm down!”

  It took a few deep breaths but Aidan managed it. He thought back to what they had been discussing—the phone. “I’m really sorry, Marcus. There’s no excuse for me being out of touch.”

  “I disagree,” Marcus said solemnly. “Mariska called me. It seems that she, Jordan, and Evan have kept Gila under control, along with Azrael. So far.” He let that sink in. “You needed to take care of things between you and Zane, I understand that. And apparently, he isn’t the incarnation of evil everyone thinks him to be?”

  “No, he’s not, but there’s someone else who is and needs to be dealt with. We’ll explain it when we get to Gabe and Mika’s. I don’t want to discuss it out in the middle of the road, or the shoulder of the road, as the case may be.”

  “Okay. I’ll follow you there.”

  Aidan got in the truck and reached for Zane, needing to hold him even if only for a few seconds. “We’re going to have to tell him. Do you think you’re up to it, or would you rather I do it?”

  Zane tensed and leant back to look in Aidan’s eyes. “I haven’t even let myself think about it, not after what happened earlier. What if I can’t handle it, or shift and…”

  “No.” Aidan strung kisses over Zane’s brow, cheeks and lips. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promised, didn’t I?” He held his breath as he waited for Zane’s reply, nearly sighing with relief when his mate nodded and relaxed against him. “Just remember that.” Aidan wanted to say more, but what he wanted to say was still a feeling growing inside of him that he didn’t quite know how to verbalise.

  Zane seemed to understand the confusion Aidan was experiencing. “I know.”

  Aidan smiled. It wasn’t a complete declaration, but it was enough for now. The rest would come.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Gabe and Mika were sitting on the porch when Aidan and Zane pulled up, Marcus right behind them. Aidan found himself fighting back a wicked smile. He winked at Zane and shared his thoughts. Zane’s eyes widened and he burst out laughing.

  “Do it,” he urged when he finally caught his breath.

  “Certainly.” Aidan got out of the truck and waited for Zane and Marcus to join him. They walked up the porch steps, and Aidan couldn’t help but notice that this time, unlike when he arrived, Gabe and Mika both stood to greet their third visitor. The nervous flicker of Gabe’s eyelids made it hard for Aidan to keep a straight face.

  “Mika, Gabe,” Aidan looked into Gabe’s eyes and nodded. Yep, it’s going to happen, he thought. Gabe glared and the tips of his ears started to turn that bright shade of red Aidan had only ever seen on Mika’s mate.

  “Don’t you dare,” Gabe muttered, drawing confused stares from Mika and Marcus.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Aidan smiled. “I’d like you to meet the Grand Poobah, as Gabe likes to call him.” Every bit of Gabe’s exposed skin flushed. Mika shot his mate a stunned look before offering his hand to Marcus. Marcus was biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

  Aidan could feel the heat of Gabe’s angry glare and studiously avoided meeting the man’s eyes. He wasn’t totally stupid. Zane’s muffled snicker was drowned out by Marcus’ proper introduction of himself, sans title.

  “Asshole,” Gabe murmured as Aidan slipped by him.

  Aidan wanted to get in and let Zane clean himself up before everyone gathered around to hear what had to be said.

  “It seems you know my brother very well,” Marcus pitched his voice to make sure Aidan heard it. He grinned, knowing that Gabe tended to take sides in any battle.

  “Yeah, well, you two obviously shared a womb, so I doubt you’re any different.” No one would ever accuse Gabe of being a soft touch—unless they knew him well.

  Marcus laughed and followed Aidan and Zane into the house, Mika and Gabe bringing up the rear. “True, but let me tell you how I found my baby brother this afternoon…”

  Aidan wrapped an arm around Zane’s waist and practically dragged him to the bedroom. He’d barely shut the door when the sound of the other three men laughing reached his ears. He looked at his mate and Zane just shook his head.

  “And now we have to go out there and face them.” Zane tugged off his clothes and headed for the bathroom. The sight of his nude body and the fact that Aidan spotted the lube lying on the nightstand—apparently Gabe or Mika had been in the room and found the missing tube while they’d been gone—stopped Aidan from thinking and spurred him to act. Aidan stripped then grabbed the lube and slid in to the shower with Zane only seconds after his mate.

  “Then let’s give them something to talk about.” Aidan spun Zane around and pressed him against the shower wall.

  Zane grunted as his chest made contact with the cold tiles but he didn’t protest. Instead, he lifted a leg and planted his foot on the lip of the tub, spreading and opening his body to Aidan. Zane’s arms splayed out over the tiles, his palms flattening against the slippery surface.

  Aidan turned the water off and opened the lube, pouring it straight onto his prick. He stroked himself a couple of times, spreading the thick liquid around then running his slick fingers over Zane’s tight pucker. He pushed a finger in as Zane arched his back and moaned. The way his mate’s lips parted on the sound was an image Aidan would never forget.

  Zane pushed his butt back, demanding more, and Aidan obliged, working two more fingers into Zane’s ass. Feeling the tight ring of muscles clamp down on his fingers was too much and Aidan pulled them out as Zane protested. Those protests died on his mate’s lips when Aidan wrapped his arms around Zane and buried his cock so deep Zane was standing on his toes, his raised leg sliding as he lost purchase.

  Aidan wasn’t so far gone yet that he would let his mate get hurt. Aidan leant and pinned Zane to the wall, holding him in place until Zane regained his footing. When Zane nodded, Aidan began pumping his hips in hard, fast thrusts, not wanting his prick to leave Zane’s heated channel any more than was absolutely necessary.

  Aidan’s mouth sought out the mark at the base of Zane’s neck. He sent a silent apology as he bit deeply, fearing Zane would be hurt. Instead, Aidan felt the burst of pleasure shoot through Zane, heard his mate’s hoarse cry as the scent of Zane’s come reached his senses. Aidan fucked Zane almost frenziedly, his vision blurred as his body was spurred to a heightened need that scared some part of his brain that was still functioning. A final thrust and Aidan ground his hips against Zane’s ass, panting around the flesh still gripped in his teeth as he spilled his seed into his mate’s body.