by Lynn Hagen
“Why don’t you sit down so we can talk about this?” Warren got up and took a step closer to him. “I can explain—”
“Explain?” Morgan’s head snapped back. “What the fuck is there to explain? You’re letting two guys fuck you. You can’t get any nastier than that.”
Warren clenched his jaw. Who was Morgan to judge him? It wasn’t as if his uncle led a pure and clean life. He barely staggered the line of decency on most days. Warren had loved him regardless of his shortcomings. But this? He wasn’t sure how to handle it.
Morgan clomped up the steps and grabbed Warren’s upper arm, shaking him. “You listen to me, boy. You’re gonna stop parading around town like a slut. You’re gonna act like you always do, single, humble, and show some respect for yourself.”
He rattled Warren around as Warren tried to dislodge his arm. “You’re hurting me!”
“I’m gonna do more than that if I catch you with those fellas again. You better act like a fucking saint.”
The back door slid open, and Ash and Ryan stepped out. Ash snarled as he grabbed Morgan and threw him down the steps. Ryan looked Warren’s arm over before he turned, baring his fangs.
“No, stop!” Warren couldn’t let them kill his uncle. Morgan wasn’t even in his right frame of mind. He was liquored up and spouting off at the mouth. “That’s my uncle.”
Ash had his arm in the air, as if ready to plow his fist through Morgan’s skull. He turned and frowned. “This is your uncle?”
“Get off me,” Morgan snarled as he staggered to his feet.
That didn’t stop Ryan from moving forward and grabbing Morgan by his shirtfront, rattling him even harder than he’d shaken Warren. “You treat family like that?” Ryan snapped. “I catch you laying a hand on him again and nothing is going to save you. Got that?”
Ash didn’t look as if he’d calmed down. He towered over Morgan. “You touched our pregn—” He snapped his mouth closed, but Warren knew what he was about to say.
Morgan had touched their pregnant mate.
“You better thank Warren, because he’s the only reason we’re not tearing you apart and burying your body,” Ryan snarled. “Now get the fuck out of here and don’t come back until you’ve got your head screwed on right.”
If that were the case, Warren would never see his uncle again. He watched as Morgan stumbled away, but not before he gave Warren the death stare.
Ryan pressed his teeth into his lower lip. “Man, I want to go after him. I want to tear his fucking heart out for touching you.”
He practically vibrated where he stood. Warren was afraid to go near Ryan.
“Are you hurt?” Ash looked over his arm. “You’re bruising.”
“I bruise easily.” Warren looked, and yep, the shape of Morgan’s hand was an angry red on his upper arm.
“Fuck it, I’m going after him.” Ryan started forward, but Ash jumped in his way, grabbing him.
“It’s Warren’s uncle. We can’t kill him.”
“Why not?” Ryan asked, and Warren feared he’d get away from Ash and go after Morgan. His eyes were dark, his jaw was clenched, and he looked as if he’d just walked out of Hell for retribution.
“Please.” Warren hurried over and placed a hand on Ryan’s arm. “He’s the only family left that I talk to. When he sobers, he’ll be sorry. Just let it go.”
Ryan’s features softened as he looked down at Warren. “I can’t let it go when someone hurts you. I just can’t. You have no idea how important you are to me. Jesus fucking Christ, you’re carrying my kid. He put his hands on you. I should’ve torn his heart out already.”
“Do you hear that?” Warren asked, trying to change the subject and hoping that it worked.
“Hear what?” Ryan asked.
“The wind chimes. Just close your eyes and listen to them.”
Ryan scowled.
“Close them,” Warren demanded.
“There’s no calming us down, shorty.” Ash still appeared livid, as if he would join Ryan if Ryan took off.
“You, too,” Warren said to Ash. “Both of you listen to them.”
With grunts of irritation, they closed their eyes. Warren did, too, but he kept a hand on each of them in case they wanted to take off. When he opened his eyes, Ryan was staring down at him.
“How do you do that?”
“What?” Warren asked.
“Take the fire right out of me.”
Ash opened his eyes, and he looked more relaxed. Warren was relieved. He didn’t want to have to go up against these two in order to defend his uncle.
He wasn't sure Morgan was worth it, but Warren didn’t want his death on his hands.
“All right. We’re calm,” Ash said. “Your uncle gets to live for another night.”
Warren wished Morgan knew how lucky he was and the bullet he’d just dodged. If his uncle ever came at him like that again, he wasn’t calling his mates off.
Chapter Nine
Ash was cleaning up after dinner, satisfied that he’d talked Warren into calling off from work. It would be a battle to get him to quit his job, but Ash and Ryan were going to talk to him about that.
Just not tonight. After a nice dinner, Ash planned on relaxing with the two. Kind of a getting-to-know-each-other thing in the living room while they surfed for something to watch on the television.
As Ash stacked the dishes in the dishwasher, a solid heat blankets his back. Ryan’s scent invaded his senses, like spicy leather and hot male that crawled inside Ash’s lungs. The warmth and power against his back, the light kisses on his nape.
“You’re sexy when you’re doing dishes.” Ryan teased Ash’s earlobe with his teeth. “I want to bend you over the counter, in front of the dishwasher, and have my way with you.”
“Should I put on a maid’s uniform?” Ash teased.
“Nah, you just gotta be naked.” His hand slid down Ash’s back and cupped his ass. “Don’t be so afraid to give it up for me. You’d be amazed at how good it feels to get fucked.”
“You’d be amazed at how good it feels to have a clean kitchen.” Ash bumped his elbow into Ryan’s gut. “Let me finish up in here.”
“Don’t be running scared.” Ryan’s laugh was soft, erotic, setting Ash’s blood on fire. “I can have Warren suck your dick while I’m fucking you if that’ll make you feel better.”
Ash’s heart was racing. His hand shook as he set a plate in the dishwasher. He wasn’t gonna lie. He was intrigued by Ryan’s offer, but a large part of him was railing against the idea of giving anyone that much power over him. Ash considered himself an alpha male, a manly man, the one in charge, not the one lying flat on his back unless a male was riding him.
“I’m not gonna pressure you.” Ryan backed away, taking the heat with him. I miss it already. My back feels cold without him there.
“We need to make a nursery.” Ash had no idea where that had come from or why he’d said it. He honestly hadn’t given any real thought to the baby growing inside Warren. He’d defended Warren against his uncle, had nearly blown a gasket that their pregnant mate had been handled so roughly, but deep consideration? Not yet. Ash hadn’t let his mind go there. Not on a serious note.
Ryan looked toward the floor, a pensive expression in his dark eyes. Ash wanted to yank Ryan into his arms and hug the fear right out of his eyes. But he didn’t. Clearly there was something on Ryan’s mind, and Ash let him work it out. “Do you think we’ll be any good at it? I mean being fathers. I’ve never had one, so I have no clue what I’m doing.”
And the getting-to-know-you session had begun. “Where was your father?”
Ash dropped a pod into the dishwasher and closed it, waiting for Ryan to gather his thoughts. Depending on Ryan’s childhood, this might turn into a heavy topic. Ash was ready for it. He had broad, thick shoulders, and helping other people with their problems was what he did best.
“I grew up on the streets, fighting for everything I needed to survive. No one really told me wh
at happened to my parents. I lived in an orphanage until I was twelve. Then I struck out on my own because being on the street was better than living with strangers who wouldn’t know kindness if it bit them on the ass.”
Ryan shoved his hands into his front pockets, as if embarrassed that he’d revealed so much. Ash had a feeling that Ryan didn’t let his softer side, his vulnerable side, out too often.
“So, yeah. I’m kinda worried I’m gonna suck at this father thing.” Ryan reached over and hit the button to start the dishwasher. “A nursery. That’s sounds pretty cool.” He wiped his hand under his nose and cleared his throat. “I wish we knew what color to decorate it with.”
Ash wasn’t going to press Ryan to divulge anything else. It wasn’t as though Ash poured all his emotions out. He bottled them up, too. “You got us now,” he said. “One crazy triad where the boss is shorter than both of us.”
Ryan chuckled. “He is a spitfire. I want to piss him off on purpose just to see him wind up and go.”
Ash leaned against the counter and pulled Ryan to him, enveloping him in his arms. “We’ll stumble through this. There’re three of us. How badly can we fuck this up?”
Ryan looked up at him, and Ash could tell his mate had something eating at his brain. “This baby is just as much yours as it is mine. I don’t ever want you to think you don’t fit into this.”
Ash sighed. “That was my insecurities guiding me to the club. I let them take over, which I shouldn’t have.”
When Ash looked toward the kitchen entryway, he saw Warren standing there, his arms crossed defensively over his stomach, as if he wasn’t sure he was allowed to join them.
“We have a little watcher,” Ash whispered.
Ryan turned and grinned. Ash could tell by the look in Ryan’s eyes that he cared deeply for Warren. The human was starting to grow on Ash too.
“Eavesdropping?” Ryan asked.
“No.” Warren quickly shook his head as his cheeks turn a pretty pink. “I was just wondering where you two were. I wasn’t trying to listen to your conversation. But…um…I did hear a bunch, and I’m sorry your life was so crappy, Ryan.”
Ash swatted Ryan on the ass. “Come on, we have some TV to watch and some talking to do. By the time we go to bed, I want to know all about both of you.”
He grabbed Ryan’s hand and led him toward Warren.
Ash stopped as his ears perked up. Ryan hissed, showing his fangs as Ash shifted into his wolf. Warren screamed as Ryan shoved their mate behind him.
The glass in the sliding door that led to the back porch shattered seconds before Macaw dipped his head and stepped inside.
* * * *
“Run!” Ryan shouted when he turned to Warren. There was no way he could take down this beast if he had to worry about Warren’s safety. It would take Ryan’s and Ash’s combined might, and that still might not be good enough.
Instead of turning and running, Warren was all fists and fury as he rocketed forward with a strange war cry echoing on his throat, all balls and no brawn, ready to take down the demon who’d invaded their home.
For a heartbeat Ryan couldn’t move, too stunned, his brain having a hard time processing what was going on. Even the wolf at Ryan’s side cocked his head.
Then Ryan bolted into action, using his inhuman speed to grab Warren around the waist and haul him off his feet, racing back just as Macaw swiped a beefy fist at the air where Warren’s head was seconds ago.
“Your little ragtag team is no match for me.” Macaw’s red eyes glowed darker, revealing his rage. Ryan’s heart was about to give out, beat right through his chest at what Warren had just done. He’d never been so paralyzed, so afraid before as he thought of the damage the demon could’ve done if he’d struck his mark.
Warren was human, fragile, small, and fuck, under any other circumstance, Ryan would’ve enjoyed unleashing Warren’s wrath. But not against Macaw. What the hell had gotten into Warren’s head? Where had all that bravery come from?
Macaw charged forward, knocking into one of the kitchen chairs and leaving it in splinters. Ryan pulled Warren all the way into the living room, the wolf hot on his heels.
“That’s the demon,” he said to Warren. “Don’t you ever go up against him again.”
Warren paled. “That guy’s a demon? I thought he was just some asshole breaking in.”
“He is.” Ryan made it to the front door, but Macaw was gaining fast. Ryan could run at his inhuman speed, but he would be leaving Ash behind, and no fucking way was he going to do that.
So Ryan threw his head back and shouted, “Phoenyx!”
Macaw stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around the room, his size eating up the space. Ryan wished he’d thought about calling the demon warrior when Macaw had attacked them on their way back to the clinic. But he’d been too pissed at the idea of Ash cheating on them and hadn’t had a clear mind.
Macaw’s grin was malicious as he turned back to them. “Help isn’t coming.”
He grabbed for the wolf and caught him by the tail. Ash snarled and bit at the demon’s hand, but damn, that was a beefy hand, and Macaw easily punched Ash away.
The wolf went down, whimpering as he lay there on the floor. White-hot anger filled Ryan to see Ash lying there injured. The wolf shook his head, got to his feet, but staggered as he walked into the wall.
Macaw had knocked the sense out of Ash. Warren started toward Ash, but Ryan pulled him back. He didn’t need his pregnant mate in arm’s reach of the demon. Warren wouldn’t survive a blow the way Ash had.
“He’s hurt!” Warren struggled in Ryan’s arms. “I need to get to him.”
“Let him go,” Macaw taunted. “Let him come at me again.”
Where the hell was Phoenyx? They’d been working together to track Macaw down so the demon warrior could put Macaw back in Hell where he’d escaped from. Phoenyx should’ve known that Ryan wouldn’t call out his name for any other reason.
Warren’s heat was beside Ryan, thumping against Ryan’s body to remind him that he was there. His face was scrunched up, twisted in a mask of fierce protectiveness. It was good to know that Warren didn’t faint every time he was under stress, but now wasn’t the time for his bravery.
Ryan jabbed a finger at the demon, his patience gone. “I didn’t do anything to you. I don’t even know why you’re after me.”
“No?” Macaw let out a deep, booming laugh. “You’re a fucking liar. We had a deal, and you reneged. You went to the demon warriors and lied on me. And for that, you’re gonna pay with your life.”
“You made a deal with a demon?” Warren’s brows were in his blond hairline. “Why would you do that?”
Even Ash looked their way at Macaw’s accusations. Ryan should’ve kept his mouth shut. He shouldn’t have said one goddamn word, because now Warren and Ash would demand to know what was between Ryan and Macaw.
Shame. That was what it had boiled down to. Ash was right to think Ryan a screw-up. That was all he’d ever been, and his dealings in the dark were now coming to light, baring his retched soul in front of the two men who meant the world to him.
Two men that Ryan didn’t want to lose.
“Go ahead.” Macaw crossed his thick arms. “Tell them about our deal, bloodsucker. When Ryan didn’t answer, Macaw grinned. “Tell them how you—”
“Don’t!” Ryan vibrated with rage and drowned in humiliation. A storm brewed inside him as he glared at Macaw. It was the past, before he’d meet Warren and Ash. Something that probably would’ve been forgotten about if Phoenyx hadn’t cornered Ryan after Ryan had…
After getting the demon warrior involved, Macaw had become relentless, tracking Ryan down with a vengeance.
“What is he talking about?” Warren asked. “How you did what?”
No. Ryan wasn’t going to do this. He wasn’t going to let the demon shatter his world. He’d fight tooth and nail to shut him up.
“How he—” Macaw’s words were cut off when Ryan ran at him, his claws
extended, trying to plunge his hand into the demon’s chest so he could rip out his heart.
Ash had been hurt because of this. He’d been knocked silly, his brain rattled, all because Macaw was…because he was pissed that Ryan had cut out before the deal had been done.
“Ryan!”
Ash’s deep commanding voice wasn’t enough to stop Ryan’s rage, to stop Ryan from trying to end Macaw. But Macaw was a huge son of a bitch, and he knocked Ryan clear across the room. Ryan hit the wall so hard that pain exploded in his head. He crumpled to the floor, pressing his palms against his temple.
Words were garbled. People had become shadows. The room rocked heavily from one side to the other. It felt as if his eardrums had been busted, and something wet was trickling down his hand.
Ryan tried to get up, tried to get back to his mates, because Macaw would torture them just for fun. But he couldn’t because he was unable to get to his feet.
Something moved past him. A hand brushed his back. Ryan looked up, and all he saw were glowing eyes. Macaw? Phoenyx? Ryan worked his jaw from side to side, pressed his hands against his ears, tried to make himself focus, but nothing worked.
Everything was shadows and movement and indistinguishable voices, which were growing louder by the second. A roar. A wave crashing into the shore.
A hand on his arm. Words that he couldn’t make out.
Ryan collapsed onto his back, hitting his head against the floor. The pain was real, deafening in his ears, pulsing at every angle of his head.
Then everything fell blissfully silent.
Chapter Ten
“He’s bleeding from his ears.” Warren crouched down in front of Ryan to protect him while Ash and some guy who’d shown up in his living room fought the demon. It was a battle that was wrecking Warren’s living room, but he didn’t care. He just wanted Ryan to wake up.
“Come on.” Warren shook him, but Ryan didn’t stir. That worried the hell out of Warren. Ryan had flown across the room and had hit the wall so hard that there was a huge hole left behind.
