Ethan took hold of his chin and turned his face so he could look him in the eye. He smiled warmly. “I’d love nothing more than that.” He plucked at a lock of Calvin’s hair. “I think I see some gray already.”

  “Fuck off,” Calvin said with a laugh, smacking his hand away. “You’re going to get gray hair before me because that shit’s hereditary. Look at Rafe and Seb.”

  Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, all right, Mr. Smarty-Pants.”

  Calvin chuckled. He planted a kiss on Ethan’s chin, then his jawline. “I think it’ll just make you look even sexier.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Mm-hm. My sexy silver fox. Or silver tiger, rather.”

  Ethan pressed his lips to Calvin’s, and Calvin opened his mouth, inviting Ethan to slip his tongue inside. He’d never grow tired of this. He loved the feel of Ethan’s heavier weight on him, of Ethan’s warm breath against his skin, the way Calvin felt loved and needed. Ethan had always needed him, but now things were a little different. Being loved by Ethan, being in his arms was more than he could have hoped for.

  Calvin was startled awake in the middle of the night by Ethan’s cell phone buzzing away. It took a moment for the sleepy haze to pass. He sat up and groaned. He was sore from their sex earlier. The thought brought a smile to his face. Ethan had been sweet and gentle, and then he’d rocked Calvin’s socks off. The phone continued to buzz from the nightstand. Who would be calling at this time of night? Shit. What if it was Thomas or Seb? He grabbed Ethan’s smartphone, frowning when he saw Letty’s picture and number on the screen. Ethan was fast asleep, so Calvin answered for him. It wasn’t like they didn’t often answer each other’s phones.

  “Hey, Letty, it’s Cal. Everything okay?”

  “Cal, thank God. I tried calling your phone, but you didn’t pick up.”

  Calvin hadn’t expected Letty’s unsteady voice. “Shit, sorry, I left it in my room. I’m, uh, not there right now. Is everything okay? What’s wrong?”

  “You and Hobbs need to get over to Dex’s house right now.”

  Calvin jumped out of bed. “What happened?” He gently nudged Ethan until he stirred awake. “Are Dex and Sloane okay?”

  “Just get over here.”

  “On our way.” Calvin hung up as Ethan sat up, his expression both sleepy and puzzled. “We have to go to Dex’s. Something’s wrong. Letty sounded worried.”

  Ethan scrambled out of bed, and they both quickly dressed. Nothing ever rattled Letty. Whatever it was, it was serious. The fact she wouldn’t tell him over the phone didn’t bode well.

  As soon as they were dressed, they put on their shoes, and Calvin grabbed his jacket and keys. They locked up and ran downstairs to the Jeep parked at the curb. Shit, it was almost four o’clock in the morning. What the hell was going on? Luckily there was very little traffic at this time, and Calvin sped through the streets trying to get them to Dex’s as quickly yet safely as possible. Ethan was quiet, undoubtedly worried for their friends. Calvin was too. Had Sloane lost control of his Therian form again? That seemed to have stopped after the whole mess with the medication had been cleared up.

  In ten minutes, they were at Dex’s house. They climbed out of the car and ran up the front steps, where they knocked on the door. Letty answered and stood to one side as they went in. Calvin stopped so suddenly Ethan almost ran into him. The living room had been ransacked. Cushions were torn and scattered around, with the stuffing strewn all over. The shelves were bare, their content strewn all over the floor. Even the furniture had been turned upside down. The rest of the house looked to be in just as bad a state. Cael looked beside himself, and Sloane was pacing while Ash tried to calm him.

  “How can I calm down? He’s gone, Ash!”

  “What’s going on?” Calvin asked.

  “Dex is gone,” Sloane replied, his hands going to his head. “I can’t believe this. Look at this place.”

  Wait, that couldn’t be right. Calvin walked over to Cael. “What do you mean he’s gone? Gone where?”

  “We don’t know,” Cael replied worriedly. “Sloane woke up, and Dex was gone.”

  “Something’s wrong.” Sloane ran a hand through his hair. “I can feel it. In my gut, deep down, like… I just know he’s in trouble. God, what if he’s hurt or…” Sloane shook his head as Ash grabbed hold of his shoulders.

  “Stop. We’ll find him. Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out.”

  “Did you see the guys who did this?” Calvin asked. He didn’t dare touch anything. This whole place had just become a crime scene.

  Sloane took a deep breath and released it slowly. “That’s what’s most fucked-up about this. I didn’t hear a thing.” His eyes grew glassy, and he breathed in once again. “I didn’t even feel it when they took him out of our bed. He was in my arms.” Sloane blinked away his tears, anger swiftly taking over. “How is that possible?”

  Rosa stepped up to Sloane, looking him over. “My guess is someone injected you with something. How else would they be able to do all this without you waking up?” She inspected his fingers, his arms, then neck, before she motioned for him to lean in. Gently turning his head, she checked behind his ear and cursed under her breath. “They injected you with something.”

  Calvin wasn’t sure what scared the shit out of him more, someone managing to get close enough to Sloane to inject him with something without him knowing it or the feral gleam in Sloane’s amber eyes.

  “They took him from my arms, and I didn’t feel a goddamn thing. When I get my hands on whoever did this, they’re going to regret ever stepping foot in this house.”

  “You’re going to have to find them first.”

  Everyone spun around to find Sparks at the front door. She was dressed in a black leather catsuit with a host of weapons tucked in her thigh rig and utility belt. Was that a crossbow attached to her back?

  “What did you do?” Sloane growled as he stormed over to Sparks. “You had something to do with this, didn’t you?”

  Sparks serenely walked past Sloane and into the living room, then took a seat on the coffee table. “I had hoped to be further along in his training before this happened, but unfortunately, the timeline seems to have been moved up.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sloane demanded. “Where’s Dex?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Calvin tapped Ethan, letting him know to be ready in case they needed to subdue Sloane. Their team leader’s amber eyes were blazing with fury. He knew his mate was in danger. There was no telling what Sloane might do.

  Sloane marched over to Sparks and threw out a hand, his fingers closing around her neck. Calvin swallowed hard and waited. He prayed this didn’t get ugly. As pissed off as Sloane was, they all knew Sparks wasn’t to be messed with.

  “Don’t lie to me!”

  “If I knew, I would tell you. Dex has been taken. I don’t know where or by whom exactly.”

  “Exactly? What does that mean? I swear, if you don’t start giving us some fucking answers, I don’t give a shit who you are or who you work for, I’m going to start causing you some pain,” Sloane demanded.

  Sparks looked up at Sloane, as if she were searching for something. Everyone waited with bated breath, when Sparks finally spoke up.

  “Dex was taken by those responsible for his parents’ murder.”

  Calvin stood stunned. The rest of his team was no better off. How was that possible?

  “Wait, what?” Calvin shook his head. “Dex’s parents weren’t murdered. They were caught in a shooting that broke out in the movie theater they were at during their date night. Right?” That’s what Dex had told him. Would Dex have lied? No, Dex wouldn’t have lied about something like that.

  Sparks tapped Sloane’s hand, and reluctantly Sloane released her.

  “That’s what everyone has been led to believe, but the truth is, Gina and John Daley were there to meet with someone. Before the meeting could take place, they were killed.”

  Cael sank down onto the floor across from Sparks. “I can’t believe this. They were murdered?”

  None of this made any sense to Calvin. “Why would they take Dex now? I mean, his parents were killed when he was just a little kid.”

  “That’s a good question. We believe Gina Daley had something in her possession before she was killed. Something important. It was possible she was going to pass this information on to whoever she was meeting. However, there was nothing on her at the time of her death.”

  “That doesn’t answer why now,” Ash said. “Why, after all these years, are they making a move on Dex now?”

  “We’ll have to ask Shultzon.”

  Sloane threw his hands up. “What the hell does Shultzon have to do with any of this?”

  Sparks stood, her steel-blue eyes meeting Sloane’s. “Shultzon is the one who ordered the hit on Dex’s parents.”

  An icy chill went up Calvin’s spine. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. And here he’d hoped they’d heard the last of that son of a bitch. Ethan grabbed Calvin’s hand and squeezed. The entire room was silent.

  “I hope your team is ready, Sloane,” Sparks said as she headed for the door. “You’re going to have to be if you want to get Dex back alive.”

  What’s next for Dex, Sloane, and the Destructive Delta crew? The adventure continues in THIRDS Volume Three: Books 7-10 on Amazon and KindleUnlimited.

  CAST MEMBERS

  You’ll find these cast members throughout the whole THIRDS series. This list will continue to grow.

  DESTRUCTIVE DELTA

  Sloane Brodie—Defense agent. Team leader. Jaguar Therian.

  Dexter J. Daley “Dex”—Defense agent. Former homicide detective for the Human Police Force. Older brother of Cael Maddock. Adopted by Anthony Maddock. Human.

  Ash Keeler—Defense agent. Entry tactics and close-quarter combat expert. Lion Therian.

  Julietta Guerrera “Letty”—Defense agent. Weapons expert. Human.

  Calvin Summers—Defense agent. Sniper. Human.

  Ethan Hobbs—Defense agent. Demolitions expert and public safety bomb technician. Has two older brothers: Rafe and Sebastian Hobbs. Tabby Tiger Therian.

  Cael Maddock—Recon agent. Tech expert. Dex’s younger brother. Adopted by Anthony Maddock. Cheetah Therian.

  Rosa Santiago—Recon agent. Crisis negotiator and medic. Human.

  COMMANDING OFFICERS

  Lieutenant Sonya Sparks—Lieutenant for Unit Alpha. Cougar Therian.

  Sergeant Anthony Maddock “Tony”—Sergeant for Destructive Delta. Dex and Cael’s adoptive father. Human.

  MEDICAL EXAMINERS

  Dr. Hudson Colbourn—Chief medical examiner for Destructive Delta. Wolf Therian.

  Dr. Nina Bishop—Medical examiner for Destructive Delta. Human.

  AGENTS FROM OTHER SQUADS

  Ellis Taylor—Team leader for Beta Ambush

  Levi Stone—Team leader for Beta Pride. Arrested for being a mole inside the THIRDS and part of the Ikelos Coalition. White tiger Therian.

  Rafe Hobbs—Team leader for Alpha Ambush. The oldest Hobbs brother. Tiger Therian.

  Sebastian Hobbs “Seb”—Newly promoted to team leader for Theta Destructive. Was once on Destructive Delta but was transferred after his relationship to Hudson ended in a breach of protocol and civilian loss. Middle Hobbs brother. Tiger Therian.

  Osmond Zachary “Zach”—Defense agent for Alpha Sleuth in Unit Beta. Has six brothers working for the THIRDS. Brown bear Therian.

  OTHER IMPORTANT CAST MEMBERS

  Gabe Pearce—Sloane’s ex-partner and ex-lover on Destructive Delta. Killed on duty. Human.

  Isaac Pearce—Gabe’s older brother. Was a detective for the Human Police Force who became leader of the Order of Adrasteia. Was killed by Destructive Delta during a hostage situation. Human.

  Louis Huerta “Lou”—Dex’s ex-boyfriend. Human.

  Bradley Darcy—Bartender and owner of Bar Dekatria. Jaguar Therian.

  Austen Payne—Squadron Specialist agent (SSA) for Destructive Delta. Cheetah Therian.

  Angel Reyes—Member of the Order. Former member of the gang Westward Creed.

  Dr. Abraham Shultzon—Head doctor during the First Gen Recruitment Program who was personally responsible for the wellbeing of the THIRDS First Gen Recruits. He was also responsible for the tests that were run on the Therian children.

  Arlo Keeler—Ash’s twin brother killed during the riots in the 1980s.

  Felipe Bautista—Drew Collins’s boyfriend.

  EXTREMIST GROUPS AND GANGS

  The Order of Adrasteia—Group of Humans against Therians. Leader was killed by Destructive Delta. New leader is said to be rising through the ranks of remaining members, though most members have jumped ship.

  The Ikelos Coalition—Vigilante group of Unregistered Therians fighting the Order. Leader is Beck Hogan. Beck’s second-in-command Preston Merritt was killed by Destructive Delta during a hostage negotiation. Most of the members of the group were arrested, leaving only Hogan, his new second-in-command Drew Collins, and a small group of Therians.

  Westward Creed—Gang of Human thugs who went around assaulting Therian citizens during the riots of 1985. Were arrested for causing the deaths of several Therians but released due to “missing” evidence. Eight members all together but only five became members of the Order: Angel Reyes, Alberto Cristo, Craig Martin, Toby Leith, Richard Esteban, Larry Berg, Ox Perry, Brick Jackson.

  GLOSSARY

  Therians—Shifters brought about through the mutation of Human DNA as a result of the Eppione.8 vaccine.

  Post-shift Trauma Care (PSTC)—The effects of Therian post-shift trauma are similar to the aftereffects of an epileptic seizure, only on a smaller scale, including muscle soreness, bruising, brief disorientation, and hunger. Eating after a shift is extremely important as not eating could lead to the Therian collapsing and a host of other health issues. PSTC is the care given to Therians after they shift back to Human form.

  THIRDS (Therian-Human Intelligence Recon Defense Squadron)—An elite, military funded agency comprised of an equal number of Human and Therian agents and intended to uphold the law for all its citizens without prejudice.

  Themis—A powerful, multimillion-dollar government interface used by the THIRDS. It’s linked to numerous intelligence agencies across the globe and runs a series of highly advanced algorithms to scan surveillance submitted by agents.

  First Gen—First Generation of purebred Therians born with a perfected version of the mutation.

  BearCat—THIRDS tactical vehicle.

  Human Police Force (HPF)—A branch of law enforcement consisting of Humans officials dealing only with crimes committed by Humans.

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you so much for reading the THIRDS Volume Two. I hope you enjoyed Dex and crew’s shenanigans, and if you did, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Reviews can have a significant impact on a book’s visibility, so any support you show these fellas would be amazing. The adventure continues in THIRDS Volume Three: Books 7-10 on Amazon and KindleUnlimited.

  Want to stay up-to-date on my releases and receive exclusive content? Sign up for my newsletter.

  Follow me on Amazon to be notified of a new releases, and connect with me on social media, including my fun Facebook group, Donuts, Dog Tags, and Day Dreams, where we chat books, post pictures, have giveaways, and more!

  Looking for inspirational photos of my books? Visit my book boards on Pinterest.

  Thank you again for joining the THIRDS crew on their adventures. We hope to see you soon!

  ALSO BY CHARLIE COCHET

  FOUR KINGS SECURITY UNIVERSE

  STANDALONE TITLES

  Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts

  FOUR KINGS SECURITY SERIES

  Love in Spades

  Be Still My Heart

  Join the Club

  Diamond in the Rough

  LOCKE AND KEYES AGENCY SERIES

  Kept in the Dark

  THE KINGS: WILD CARDS SERIES

  Stacking the Deck

  Raising the Ante

  Sleight of Hand

  THIRDS UNIVERSE

  THIRDS SERIES

  Hell & High Water

  Blood & Thunder

  Rack & Ruin

  Rise & Fall

  Against the Grain

  Catch a Tiger by the Tail

  Smoke & Mirror

  Thick & Thin

  Darkest Hour Before Dawn

  Gummy Bears & Grenades

  Tried & True

  THIRDS BEYOND THE BOOKS SERIES

  THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 1

  THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 2

  THE THIRDS COLLECTION

  THIRDS Volume One: Books 1-3

  THIRDS Volume Two: Books 4-6

  THIRDS Volume Three: Books 7-10

  THIRDS: REBELS SERIES

  Love and Payne

  TIN SERIES

  Gone But Not Forgotten

  Go Down in Flames

  PARANORMAL PRINCES SERIES

  The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard

  The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter

  The King and His Vigilant Valet

  SOLDATI HEARTS SERIES

  The Soldati Prince

  The Foxling Soldati