“I still haven’t heard back from Lexi about the missing money. It’s been almost two weeks. It’s not like her to not return my calls.”

  “It is strange, but what does it have to do with everything else that’s going on?”

  Syx stared him in the eyes and shook his head. “I’m not dismissing anything. No matter how far out in left field it seems, I’m assuming it’s all connected until I can prove otherwise.”

  “Smart.” Hex tilted his head to the side and frowned when Syx took a black marker and began scribbling something else on the board. “What are you writing now?”

  “We’re dropping like flies, man. That shit that happened with Gage in the kitchen is nuts. It’s the third time someone has succumbed to that evil little prick, too. We can’t let it happen again.”

  “What do we do about it?”

  Syx waved a hand behind him. “I don’t know. That’s why it’s on the board.”

  * * * *

  If Gage apologized one more time, Echo was going to scream. “Look, I’ve been there. I know you can’t help it. I know you didn’t mean it. I just know, okay?”

  Gage bit his lip and turned to his mates. Mac held a hand up. “Don’t. I forgave you the minute you said it. I knew something wasn’t right.”

  “Then let me say this.” Gage brushed his lips over Mac’s. “Thank you for believing in me and knowing I’d never hurt you that way.”

  “Hey, I believed you, too,” Sony huffed.

  “Then let me show you my gratitude.” Gage smiled wickedly as he grabbed up both of his mates and ran them out of the kitchen.

  Echo chuckled under his breath and eased into the seat beside Myst. “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah, sorry, baby.” Myst propped his elbows up on the table and rested his chin in his palms. “I didn’t mean to wig out like that.”

  Leaning over, Echo kissed the underside of Myst’s jaw. “Well, it was a bit hostile, but it was also kind of sexy. It’s nice to know that you’d defend me no matter what.”

  “Every time,” Myst answered with sincerity.

  Echo kissed his mate again and cleared the roughness from his throat. “Okay, the full moon is tonight. The new moon is in two weeks. We haven’t done anything to prepare for it.”

  “That seems to be our standard operating procedure.”

  Echo turned in his seat to find Fiero leaning against the kitchen doorway. “You’re right, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good practice.”

  Standing up straight, Fiero shrugged and walked over to plop down in one of the chairs. “It’s been working so far. I say if it’s not broke, don’t fuck with it.”

  Echo snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yes, very eloquent.” He started to say something else, but bit his lip and looked down at his hands where they rested in his lap. Although it hadn’t technically been Gage who’d said those awful things, maybe the man had a point. Maybe Echo was too bossy.

  Onyx reached over and tapped the end of his nose. “What’s all this? If you have something to say then just say it. Don’t let what Gage said get to you.”

  “Yeah, we like you bossy,” Myst added.

  “Quiet and submissive is not your style.” Fiero gave a dramatic shudder. “Thank the gods for that.”

  “Fine.” Echo huffed and stuck his tongue out. “You asked for it. We need someone to stand guard outside of Gage’s room tonight. I know Mac and Sony normally calm him, but after what happened earlier, I don’t think we should take any chances.”

  “Me and Eyce will take turns.” Fiero rose from his chair, dropped a quick kiss on the top of Echo’s head as he passed, and hurried out of the room.

  “What else?” Myst leaned forward in his chair, staring inquiringly at Echo.

  “You really don’t mind me ordering you around, huh?”

  Myst’s brow scrunched and his lips turned down at the corners. “Why would I? You have good ideas.”

  “You do say all the right things,” Echo purred. “Okay, then you, me, Onyx, and Hex are going to work on your powers. Syx thinks Hex is up next, and I agree, but it never hurts to be prepared. Plus, we know your tests are coming, so we can get a jump start on it.”

  “When do we start?” Onyx asked.

  “The sooner, the better. Tension is high right now because of the full moon and what happened to Gage. Let’s just deal with one thing at a time, and we’ll get started in the morning.”

  “I’m going to need a lot of help,” Myst said quietly. “After what happened to you two,” he waved a hand between Onyx and Echo, “I guess we’re assuming that Hex’s test has something to do with the beast scattering their worries, or however it goes.”

  Echo nodded slowly. He could tell Myst had more to say, and he wouldn’t interrupt until the demon was finished.

  “Then the crops dying would be Onyx. I mean, how would I do anything about that? It just makes sense, ya know?”

  “Yes, it does. I still don’t understand why you think you’re going to need more help than the others. You’re strong, Myst. I have no doubt that you’ll come out on top when it’s your turn.” Judging by the look on Myst’s face, the warrior was not reassured.

  “I’m not so sure about that. If we still assume that the bleeding moon is referring to the war that only leaves something about those born on the first.”

  “Born of the first,” Echo corrected. He didn’t know why, but that one little word seemed important.

  Myst wiggled his fingers in dismissal. “I don’t know what that means other than someone is going to die. After the first test, we’ve been able to prevent that. How am I supposed to use my ability to stop this?”

  Taking Myst’s hand in both of his, Echo squeezed gently. “We’ll figure it out, just like we did with all the others. I’ll make sure you’re ready,” Echo vowed.

  “What if it means you?” Myst asked so quietly that Echo almost didn’t hear him.

  “Then we’ll worry about that when the time comes.” What else could he do? He could sit in his room and wait for death to come for him, or he could help his men prepare for battle.

  It wasn’t a hard decision for him to make.

  * * * *

  “That was Lexi,” Vapre said, snapping his phone closed and shoving it into his pocket. “She’s been out of town.”

  “Where the hell has she been that she didn’t have phone or internet reception?” Hex demanded.

  Vapre looked at him and shrugged. “I didn’t ask, but she said that you called her back in February and authorized the transfer of funds once a month beginning in March.”

  “Right. Try again.” Like hell he’d made that call. He hadn’t spoken to Lexi in damn near a year. Vapre and Syx always took care of that stuff.

  “Well, that’s what she said. I told her I’d talk to you, but to stop the transfers for now.”

  “Did she say where the money was going?”

  “Some non-charitable organization in Washington state.”

  Hex blinked a few times then threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Oh, talk about adding insult to injury. That is fucking priceless.”

  Vapre looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Would you like to share?”

  “Where did Gage say they were moving the residents from the lab when we rescued his mates?”

  “Oh, fuck me.” Vapre closed his eyes and groaned. “That is seriously messed up.”

  “What’s messed up?” Myst asked as he, Onyx, and Echo filed into the office.

  Hex chuckled again. It really wasn’t funny, but if he didn’t laugh, he’d probably tear the damn house apart. “Apparently, Ares has been stealing money from our accounts to fund the war against us.”

  “So, we’re paying for him to kick our asses?” Echo’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “Well, isn’t that just peachy?”

  “It doesn’t really hurt us,” Hex continued. “It’s just more of a big screw-you.”

  “Are you sure it’s him?” Onyx asked reasonably.

  “Not a hundred percent, but I’m willing to put money on it.”

  “Sounds like we already did,” Echo said around a snort. He shook his head and sighed. “We really can’t catch a break, can we?”

  “Things will be over soon.” Hex spoke with more conviction than he felt. He knew things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

  Echo looked at him for a long time, but didn’t comment. Finally, he blew out a breath and pushed his hair back from his face. “I’m hungry.”

  Every man in the room moved toward Echo, Hex included, tilting their heads to the side as they went. Echo laughed and shooed them away. “Not that kind of hungry.”

  “I’ll start dinner,” Myst said immediately.

  “I’ll help.” Onyx grabbed Myst’s arm and dragged him from the room.

  Echo laughed again. “I’m going to take a shower.” He sashayed to the door, putting a lot of sway in his hips, and disappeared through it without another word.

  Hex was a lot of things, but a fool wasn’t one of them. Giving Syx a push to get him going, he grabbed Vapre’s arm, dragging the man along as they followed Echo out of the office.

  Peeking over his shoulder at them, Echo made kissy faces then turned and sprinted through the living room and up the stairs.

  “Oh, I love it when he wants to play,” Syx practically sobbed. “Hurry.”

  Happy, naked, wet, and writhing all ranked high on Hex’s list of favorite things. Apply those adjectives to his men, and there was nothing in the world he liked better. Pushing, shoving, tripping, and stumbling over each other, they finally made it to the top of the stairs without falling right back down them and began stripping out of their clothes as they hurried to Hex’s bedroom.

  He could already hear the shower running, the water beating against the tiles, and his dick hardened instantly as his brain produced images of Echo beneath the steamy spray. Hex was the first into the shower, followed quickly by Syx and Vapre. His hand went to his cock, gripping the base to keep from coming as he watched the water cascade over Echo’s creamy skin.

  “Are you just going to stand there and watch me?” Echo asked without turning around.

  His words seemed to bring them all out of their daze, and Hex released his cock and dropped to his knees, running his hands down his lover’s back and over his hips. Vapre knelt beside him while Syx moved to crouch in front of Echo.

  They lavished attention on their mate, touching, caressing, kissing, licking, and nibbling at every inch of skin they could reach. Hex swirled his tongue over Echo’s lower back, nibbling over the rounded hills of his ass and ghosting his tongue along the crease.

  Echo moaned and trembled, bracing his palms flat against the tiled wall of the shower in front of him. His back arched, his hips jerked, and Hex thrilled to the wanton display of surrender.

  The snick of a bottle cap drew his attention, and he held his hand out for Vapre to coat his fingers in the waterproof lube. Gently spreading Echo’s cheeks, he caressed his fingers over the clenching pucker, stroking the tight muscles until Echo’s hole began to relax against his constant touch.

  He pushed in with one finger, pumping in and out in slow, languid movements. Echo gasped. He added a second, twisting his wrist and scissoring his fingers. Echo whimpered. By the time he had three fingers sawing in and out of his mate’s hole, Echo was rocking his hips, pushing back against him, and moaning like a twenty-dollar whore.

  “Oh, sweet hell,” Echo cried, one hand moving away from the tiles and lowering in front of him. Hex peeked around his lover’s hip, groaning as he watched Echo’s hard cock slide in and out of Syx’s stretched lips.

  Warm, moist heat surrounded his own throbbing dick, and Hex snapped his hips forward, driving his cock to the back of Vapre’s throat. His fingers worked in and out Echo’s clutching hole, turning and curling, brushing over the walnut-sized gland.

  Vapre’s lips locked around his straining prick, dragging up and down the flexing length. His hand fisted around his own cock, stroking himself roughly as his muffled groans competed with Echo’s uninhibited cries of pleasure.

  His balls ached, his cock pulsed, his head swam, and Hex had a split second to muse over the fact that this was bound to be the shortest blow job in history before his orgasm slammed into him. Dropping his head back on his shoulders, the cords in his neck strained as he grinded his teeth together and grunted. He rocked his hips while his balls unloaded, pouring cum from his slit to fill Vapre’s mouth and slide down his throat.

  Vapre swallowed around the head of his cock, massaging him, milking him. The warrior’s body stiffened, his hips jerked forward, and he slid off Hex’s prick and groaned. Pearly ropes of seed erupted from his crown, spilling over his hand to mingle with the water from the shower.

  Through his orgasmic high, Hex managed to keep his fingers moving, thrusting into Echo’s heated passage with enough force to push his mate forward and increase the volumes of his moans. Then Echo’s inner walls clamped around his fingers, his spine went ramrod straight, and Echo let out a strangled cry.

  Syx’s garbled groan followed swiftly, and Hex watched between Echo’s spread thighs as cream shot from Syx’s cock with such velocity it painted Echo’s shin and the side of his calf.

  Gently easing his fingers from Echo’s twitching entrance, Hex slumped back against the wall, grabbing Echo’s hips and lowering him into his lap before his mate could fall. “Damn,” he mumbled, cradling his lover to his chest while Syx and Vapre pressed against his sides. “You wore me out, and I didn’t even do anything.”

  Echo chuckled breathlessly and kissed the side of his neck. “Well, I guess you’re welcome then.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “This is fucking lame.” Onyx pushed his powers toward the trees behind the house, bending and swaying them to his will. He’d been doing it for as long as he could remember. It was nothing new, and he sure as shit didn’t see how it was going to help him in his task.

  “Fine,” Echo growled. “You want a challenge? We’re going to make the grass grow.”

  “Yeah.” Onyx snorted and waved his hand toward his feet. A circular patch of dead grass suddenly became a vibrant green around him, sprouting up out of the ground until it reached his ankles. “That was hard.”

  “You know, your shitty attitude really isn’t helping anything.” Echo stepped up to him and jabbed a finger in his midsection. “Stop being a fuckwad.”

  Onyx sighed and let the grass die around him. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried, and I don’t know how any of this is helping. If I mess this up…There’s just a lot at stake, okay?”

  “I realize this, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be an asshole to everyone. Now, if you’re done, I wasn’t talking about making a tiny patch of grass grow. I meant the entire field.”

  His mouth fell open, and Onyx gaped at his mate. “Echo, I don’t have that kind of power. I can make living things grow, bend the trees, that kind of thing. Bringing an entire field back to life? I just can’t do it.”

  “You can and you will.” Echo held his hand out, palm up, and waited for Onyx to take it. Then he held his other hand out to Hex, smirking when the alpha hesitated at first. “I don’t bite, love.”

  “I thought Myst was supposed to be practicing, too,” Onyx complained. “Where is he anyway?”

  “He took a shift on guard duty last night to make sure Gage didn’t massacre the entire house. He’s sleeping, but don’t worry. I’ll get him later.”

  “Okay, so what do we do now?” Hex gripped Echo’s hand and looked out over the field. “What am I supposed to do? I heal people, not plants.”

  “Well, now you’re going to do both.” With that, Echo closed his eyes, and Onyx immediately felt the shock of electricity sizzle from his palm and jolt up his arm as though he’d stuck his finger in a light socket.

  His knees shook, his muscles bunched, and his stomach rolled. He tried to jerk his hand away, but Echo held firm, gripping his hand with more strength than he imagined the smaller man capable of. “It’ll pass,” Echo said calmly. “Just hold on.”

  Closing his eyes, Onyx tried to push away the discomfort as his body continued to thrum with energy. His own powers coursed through him, flowing and ebbing, then building to a crescendo until he thought it would burst out of his pores.

  Then something else began to wash over him like a cooling spring, soothing his jittery nerves and calming his racing heart. He inhaled deeply. Let it out slowly.

  “Now, make the field green,” Echo said as if he were asking them to simply spread some seed and turn on a sprinkler.

  Keeping his eyes shut tight, Onyx imagined the grass growing lush and green across the field. Gods, he hoped he was doing it right. He had a feeling he might be when Hex gasped, and Echo started laughing. He didn’t drag his eyelids open, though, until Echo released his hand.

  Blinking against the sunlight, Onyx surveyed the small field behind their house in awe. A slow grin worked over his lips, stretching them wide until he felt his face would split in two. “We did it.”

  “Told you.” Echo gave him a confident smile that bordered on cocky, and it was the sexiest damn thing Onyx had ever seen.

  “I don’t know how this helps me,” Hex mumbled, “but it’s pretty freakin’ cool.”

  “Did you feel stronger, more powerful?” Echo asked.

  Hex nodded.

  “Well, then that’s a start. I mean, if you want to practice on people I could always stab myself.” Echo winked up at Onyx.

  “No!” Hex shouted. He bit his bottom lip, and a pink hue tinted his cheeks. “Um, no, no, that won’t be necessary. I think this is good enough.”

  “I’m cold. We’ll practice more later.” Echo dipped his head and chuckled. “You know I wouldn’t really stab myself for practice, right?”

  Onyx looked up at Hex, seeing the worry he knew must have shown on his own face. Maybe not in practice, but when it came down to the end, what would Echo do to protect them?

  Anything.

  And that answer scared the shit out of him.