“Echo, I didn’t bring you in h—”

  Turning sharply, Echo poked Syx in the chest, cutting him off mid-sentence. “You, get out. You’ve done quite enough. Tell the others I will deal with them later.”

  Syx growled and crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t do a damn thing. I’m trying to help. Stop being such a prick.”

  “Uh, why are you guys fighting?” Onyx’s head was starting to spin from trying to keep up with the conversation. “What did Syx do?”

  “Butt out,” Echo said over his shoulder.

  Onyx clamped his lips together and went back to watching.

  “You know you damn well did.” Echo poked Syx again. “I don’t even know why we keep you around.”

  “Hey!” Onyx pushed to his feet and pulled Echo back from the warrior. “Echo, what has gotten into you?”

  “No, he’s right,” Syx mumbled and hung his head. “I am completely useless. He has every right to say those things. I couldn’t even keep him safe out in those woods.”

  Onyx’s heart broke for his lover, and another little part of him wanted to shake the shit out of Echo. No one blamed Syx for what had happened in that cave. Hell, he’d saved all their asses in the end. How could Echo be so callous?

  “I’m sorry,” Syx whispered.

  “How does that make you feel?” Echo asked as he turned to look into Onyx’s face.

  Onyx opened his mouth to tell his mate that he felt like decking the both of them for being stupid, but nothing came out. He was starting to think that he was missing something. He just didn’t know what it was.

  “You don’t see yourself clearly,” Syx said when Onyx still couldn’t speak. “When I hear things like that inside your head, it hurts. Partly because I feel like you’re attacking someone I care about, but mostly because I feel like I failed somewhere.”

  Onyx understood the first part. To hear Syx say those things about himself made Onyx’s chest tighten and his gut clench. If anyone else had dared to say those things about any of his men, he’d have made sure their face had a nice little meeting with his fist. The second part just confused the shit out of him, though.

  “How did you fail?”

  Syx chuckled, but it didn’t hold much humor. “If you really don’t know how I feel about you, then I obviously haven’t been doing something right.”

  His heart flopped over in his chest, and his palms began to sweat. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask how Syx really felt, but he reeled it back at the last minute. He didn’t want to know. Did he?

  He watched Syx’s eyes dart to Echo, then the demon shook his head sadly. “Soon?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” Echo answered.

  “What? What’s soon? What are you talking about?”

  Syx glanced at Echo again, and Onyx saw their mate shake his head fractionally. “Not yet. It won’t have the same meaning. Words said with perceived guilt don’t hold the same value.”

  Onyx wanted to roar in frustration. “What the hell are you two going on about?”

  Instead of answering, Echo slithered up next to him, rubbing against him and making his brain short-circuit. Then he stretched up on his toes, wrapped his arms around Onyx’s neck, and pulled him down into an earth-shattering kiss.

  It took about two seconds and one brush of Echo’s tongue against his for Onyx to entirely forget about the conversation. “You fight dirty,” he panted against Echo’s mouth.

  Echo smirked. “You know it.”

  Chapter Three

  Echo leaned against the wall beside Jet and watched the crowd of people mingle throughout their house. “There’s a lot of people here,” he commented.

  Jet frowned and nodded. “This isn’t a big town.”

  His eyebrows drew together, and Echo mirrored Jet’s frown. “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing, I guess. I just didn’t think that so many people would be accepting of our…lifestyle.”

  “You mean being gay? Or the fact that I’m gay with seven different men?”

  “Both,” Jet answered immediately. “Or, do they just think you’re roommates or something?”

  “Most of them saw us all making out at the New Year’s party, so they know.” Echo hadn’t really thought about it before, but now that Jet brought it up, he supposed it was kind of strange for the good townsfolk to be so accepting of their relationship. Not that he gave a fuck what they thought, but it was kind of nice to be accepted.

  Catching Vapre’s eye, Echo waved him over. Vapre gave him a beaming smile and hurried across the living room to him and Jet. He stopped in front of Echo, pushed a glass of wine into his hand, and bent to kiss his forehead. “Are you enjoying your party?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Echo tilted his head up and pursed his lips in a silent request.

  Vapre chuckled and brushed their lips together gently. “Did you need something, sweetheart?”

  Echo blinked a few times to clear the haze from his brain. “Uh, what?”

  Jinx snorted and elbowed him in the ribs. “Dude, you got it bad.”

  “Yes, I do,” Echo admitted willingly. Who wouldn’t? Just look at his men. They were always gorgeous, but clean them up and slap radiant smiles on their faces, and they were breathtaking.

  “So, what’s up?” Vapre shoved his hands in his pockets and moved to lean against the wall beside Echo.

  “We were wondering why everyone seems so accepting of us here. I mean, in a town this small and this isolated, I figured people would be pretty small minded.”

  Vapre winked at him as he smirked. “We donate a lot of money to this town. Money talks, Echo. Besides, a lot of people here are just kind of the live-and-let-live type.” The sly grin slid off his face, and he became serious. “Not everyone here is like that, though. Don’t think because the few here are accepting that everyone is. Don’t ever go into town without one of us.”

  “Yeah, like you guys ever let me leave the house anyway.” Echo rolled his eyes and took a drink. You’d think he was made of spun glass the way his men treated him. It was nice most of the time, and he really had no desire to go anywhere without them, but he was still a grown man. “I’ve left our property exactly four times since I moved here, and none of those times have I gone into town.”

  They’d driven an hour to the nearest mall on two separate occasions. They’d taken him on a wonderful date, in which they’d also had to drive over an hour to reach their destination. And then the horrific trip into the woods. Again, another two-hour drive.

  “And I’d prefer to keep it that way,” Vapre said menacingly.

  Echo saw Jet shift uncomfortably out of the corner of his eye. The shifter started to ease away from them, and Echo let him go. He didn’t exactly want an audience for the argument he knew was about to go down. “You just said these were good people. Why can’t I go into town?”

  “I don’t want to fight during your party. Can we please just discuss it later?”

  He glared at his lover for a long time before dipping his head curtly. “We’re going to talk about this, though. I’m sick to death of you guys keeping shit from me.”

  Vapre groaned and dropped his head back to the wall with a thud. “We’re not keeping anything from you.”

  “Then why the hell can’t I go into town?”

  “It’s not safe,” Hex said quietly as he took up Jet’s recently vacated spot against the wall. “It’s not just you, baby. None of us go into town alone.”

  Both of Echo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You’re demons,” he said quietly so as not to be overheard. “Why on earth would you be afraid of some human bigots?”

  “Who said anything about humans?”

  Echo choked on the sip of wine he’d just taken. He coughed and spluttered, holding his glass out to Vapre for the man to take it before he dropped it. When he was finally able to breathe, he looked up at Hex and fisted his hands on his hips. He started to open his mouth to demand to know what the hell that comment was supposed to mean, but stopped when he suddenly remembered his plan to get Hex to straighten up and fly right.

  Pressing his lips together and swallowing down the stubbornness he could feel just under the surface, he graced the alpha with a sweet smile and nodded slowly. “Will you explain that to me sometime?”

  “Yes, but not now. This is a party, and you should be having fun.” He scowled as he looked out over their mingling guests. “There are a few people I don’t recognize here, so I’d prefer if you don’t go anywhere alone tonight.”

  “If that’s what you want,” Echo answered calmly.

  Hex’s eyes snapped to him as though he didn’t believe what he’d just heard. “Yes, that’s what I want,” he said slowly.

  Echo nodded demurely and moved away from Hex until his back pressed against Vapre’s chest. The demon’s arms came around him, and Echo smiled. “Vapre will take good care of me.”

  “We’ll keep an eye on him.” Vapre released his hold on Echo’s torso and reached to take his hand. “Go enjoy the party, Hex.”

  Hex looked like he would argue for a moment. Instead, he jerked his head in what Echo assumed was supposed to be agreement, then turned and stalked away.

  “I think it’s working,” Vapre whispered in his ear.

  Echo smiled wickedly. “Oh, we’re just getting started.”

  * * * *

  Watching his men move about the party, Hex felt a deep ache in his heart. Not a one of them had said more than a handful of words to him the entire evening. They were polite and genial, but it felt off…distant. He’d even snapped at Fiero, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of the man, but Fiero just smiled and agreed with whatever Hex said.

  He’d purposely prodded Echo with that little snippet about the townspeople not being all they appeared, but his mate hadn’t taken the bait. They were all acting very strange, but Hex couldn’t put his finger on what exactly was different.

  “Would you care to dance?”

  Hex turned to find Craze standing behind him, smiling like a fool as he held his hand out with the palm up. “I don’t think that would go over well with your mates or mine.” Besides, Hex didn’t want to dance with Craze. He wanted his men.

  “You’ve been standing off in the corner by yourself all night. Is someone in the doghouse?”

  Hex frowned. Was he? He didn’t know what the hell he’d done to land himself in hot water, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He was being punished for something, but damned if he knew what.

  Craze pressed against his side, crowding him, and invading his personal space. “Maybe we can make them jealous,” he purred. His hand landed on Hex’s chest and began a slow trek downward.

  Hex didn’t react to the man’s touch, but he didn’t push him away either. He scanned the room, looking for his men to see if they had noticed what was going on and if they planned to put a stop to it. Normally, Hex couldn’t get within ten feet of Craze without Echo jumping in to stake his claim. He loved that about his mate, and he craved that kind of attention at the moment.

  He found Echo doing a slow grind with Syx, and their eyes met and locked. Echo just smiled and gave him a little wave before turning his back to Hex and wrapping his arms around Syx’s neck. Hex felt the casual dismissal like a slap in the face.

  Craze’s hand traveled further down his chest and over his abs, heading straight for his groin. With a deep growl, Hex grabbed the man’s wrist and flung his hand away. “Fuck off.”

  “Ah, don’t be that way, darlin’,” Craze drawled. “We were good together once.”

  “Whatever happened between us is in the past, and I wouldn’t exactly label it as good. Besides, don’t you care anything about your mates?”

  “They’re sweet as pie, but they can’t give me what I need. If no one knows, no one can get hurt, though.”

  Hex felt his stomach curl, and bile rose in his esophagus. “You don’t deserve them,” he said quietly.

  Craze laughed harshly. “You’re no better than I am, Hex, so don’t get all fucking self-righteous on me. You’ll put yourself first every time, just admit it. You don’t give a damn about any of them beyond a warm hole to sink your dick into.”

  With a feral snarl, Hex’s control snapped, and he grabbed Craze by the throat, slamming him up against the wall. “Everything,” he spat. “Everything I’ve done has been for them—to keep them safe. Do not presume to know me. We are nothing alike.”

  His body thrummed with aggressive energy, and his skin crawled with the need to shift. His demon roared and gnashed its teeth, clawing its way to the surface. When he spoke, his voice sounded hoarse and gravelly, unrecognizable. “I would give up everything for them. They are my life. Mine!”

  “Ah, shit, man.” Craze closed his eyes briefly and groaned. “This was not supposed to happen.” He yelped when Hex pulled him forward by his neck then slammed him back against the wall again. “Hex, there are people here. Someone is going to get hurt. You need to calm the fuck down.”

  Hex wasn’t listening anymore, though. His blood roared in his ears, his heart pounded heavily in his chest, and a red haze settled over his vision. His muscles twitched and tightened, his body vibrating as he prepared to shift.

  “Hex, let him go.” The soft, musical voice penetrated his fury as nothing else could. “You need to let him go,” Echo whispered. His small, delicate fingers wrapped around Hex’s wrist, but he didn’t pull on it. “Come on, big guy.”

  He stared into Echo’s eyes for a long time, letting the sight, smell, and touch of his mate calm him. Very slowly, he unwound his fingers from around Craze’s neck and let his hand fall limply to his side. His eyes never left Echo’s.

  Craze dodged around him quickly and disappeared into the throng of people.

  “I’m sorry,” Hex whispered guiltily. It had been centuries since he’d lost control like that. What the fuck was wrong with him? He wanted to reach out to his mate, hold Echo in his arms, but the man didn’t look very receptive. So, he stood there and waited for Echo to let him have it.

  “Are you okay now?”

  Hex took a deep breath and nodded.

  “Okay.” Echo smiled crookedly. “I’m going back to the party. Try not to scare the locals, yeah?”

  Watching his mate walk away from him, Hex felt like he was going to vomit. His gut clenched painfully, his head spun, and his chest constricted. That was it? Echo didn’t offer him any sort of comfort. He didn’t demand to know what had happened. He’d just left as though Hex was nothing more than some disorderly drunk in a bar.

  Looking across the room, he found Craze in a heated argument with Myst. The two weren’t speaking loudly, but every subtle move dripped with hostility. Before Hex could decide whether to intervene or not, Echo rushed over to Myst and plastered himself to the demon’s chest.

  Myst instantly relaxed, ignoring Craze as though the man didn’t exist as his full attention settled on Echo, and he crushed him close. Echo cuddled into the embrace, nuzzling his face over Myst’s chest in an obvious show of comfort.

  Yep, Hex was definitely going to throw up. Deciding no one would miss him anyway, he crossed to the stairs and made his way up to his room. As he’d suspected, no one tried to stop him or call him back. Hell, none of his men even glanced at him as he’d passed.

  He was being ridiculous. This is exactly what he’d wanted—distance between himself and his men. So why the hell did it hurt so damn much?

  * * * *

  “I did exactly what you told me to, so don’t blame this shit on me.”

  Echo turned in Myst’s embrace and glared up at Craze. “I didn’t tell you to push him to the point he’d actually shift!”

  “Man, he just snapped,” Craze argued. “You can find someone else to do your dirty work from now on, Echo. I know what you think of me, but I didn’t enjoy any part of that. I don’t want Hex. I don’t want anyone but my mates. Saying those things to him, lying about the way I feel for Jinx and Syn…” Craze trailed off and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, but that was probably the worst.”

  Seeing the truth in Craze’s eyes made Echo feel about two inches tall. This was not going the way he planned at all. Hell, he just seemed to be making things worse for everyone. It had taken every bit of willpower he possessed not to comfort Hex. “I’m sorry, Craze. Go find your mates. They’ll make you feel better.”

  Craze didn’t say a word as he spun around and went in search of his men. “I think the party’s over,” Echo whispered to Myst. He didn’t feel much like celebrating anymore.

  “We’ll start clearing people out.” Myst placed a quick kiss on the top of Echo’s head before he eased away and started herding their guests toward the door.

  Echo waited for a moment to make sure his lovers had everything well in hand before he made his way to the kitchen. He needed to be alone, if only for a few minutes. Sharing the house with fifteen other men, privacy was a rare and precious commodity.

  Lost in thought, Echo crossed the kitchen, and slipped out the back door. He didn’t want to worry his mates, but he just needed five minutes to freaking breathe without someone hovering over him. Hex’s warning about not going anywhere in the house alone came back to him, but the party was over and people were leaving. Besides, he could take care of himself.

  The minute the door closed behind him, he realized just how wrong he was. A hard body pressed against his back as a huge, callused hand came up to cover his mouth. “Scream, and I’ll kill you,” the man hissed in his ear.

  The guy’s other arm encircled Echo’s waist and lifted him off his feet. Then he leapt off the back deck, hitting the ground with a muffled thud, before he started running toward the tree line.

  Echo doubted the guy would take the time to kidnap him if he really intended to kill him. If he wanted Echo dead, he would have done it back on the porch. So, he ignored the order to remain quiet and began kicking and screaming, doing everything in his limited power to get away.

  He didn’t even slow the man, though. The guy grunted a few times, shook Echo a little, but kept right on sprinting for the trees. Echo changed tactics, going completely limp and hoping his dead weight would cause the man to falter. Of course, he had no such luck. Holy damn, the man was massive.