by Flynn Eire
Zeke swallowed loudly but then looked away. “I promised Danek I’d have dinner with him.”
“So you aren’t really dating?” I checked, needing him to confirm what I was fairly certain of.
He shook his head. “I went to the scariest single guy around here and asked him to pretend to be my boyfriend. He asked it not be pretend.”
“Why on earth would you do that?” I whispered, swallowing the hurt he would go to such lengths when I would never, not ever hurt him.
He shrugged, sliding along the wall and then pushing off of it once I was out of the way. “There wasn’t much thinking involved in my panic, Linden. You suddenly are here when all I’ve done is tried to dodge any Hennings, and then you were flirty, like you wanted something from me, and I panicked. I flat out panicked and came up with the first thing I could to not let things blow up.”
“Do you like him?” I demanded as he walked off, following him.
He shrugged again. “I don’t dislike him. He’s been nice, and the twins like him. He’s definitely the hottest guy that’s ever been interested in me.”
“I’m interested in you,” I growled.
He flinched, pausing on the stairs for a moment before hurrying along. “I’ll see you later, Linden.”
“Oh no, you are not running from me when I know you still want me and now I can actually touch you.” I swallowed the rest of that thought about how often his emerald eyes invaded my dreams. He’d been legal in some states when that had started, and there were no laws against dreams or desires, but I had known him since he was a tyke, and it upset me that my feelings had turned sexual.
“I need to think,” he whispered, his voice coming out choked.
“Why? What did I do, Zeke?”
He stopped before we reached the back door, his hand shaking as he reached for the knob. “Can you please, please just give me a bit to catch up, settle with any of this? I let you walk away when you needed it. Can’t I have the same?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled when he gave me a shocked look over his shoulder. “I can give you all the time you need, but you made it sound like you were a firm no when you didn’t seem to want it.” I leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Let’s go make some candy.” It killed me to see the tears shining in his eyes and knowing I’d put them there.
I might not understand what the hell was going on, but I knew I’d put the tears there, and I didn’t like that.
He nodded and headed out to the garage. I watched in awe as he worked over the next few hours. He moved like it was a dance, working with the ingredients that became the candy. Fine, I got turned on when he used his hidden muscles to flip, form, and work it, his slender hands talented in their task. Yeah, I was a dirty ancient bastard, but I wanted those hands on me, that careful with me.
“Want to try it?” he asked me as he handed over the first giant rainbow lollipop that was about the size of his head.
I nodded, leaning in closer than needed as I accepted the candy. “I’d love to, but just so we’re clear, I’d much prefer to eat you.”
His eyes flashed shock before focusing on the next one. “Hard candy gets you hot?”
“No, watching your hands move so amazingly makes me want nothing more than to have you touch me like that while naked.”
He shivered slightly before turning away more. “Is this guilt?”
“What?” I breathed, freezing and feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature.
“I heard what you said to Marissa that you were attracted to me when I was of age but you never made a move. I know you went through shit, I’m not downplaying that, but Zara knew how to find me. You could have said something then when I saw you.”
“What are you saying?”
He let out a slow breath. “You’ve had other chances since I’ve been old enough, Linden. You’ve had other chances since seeing me here.”
It took me a moment, what he was alluding to hitting me like every zakasac in the world punching me at once. I set down the sucker, no longer wanting anything from him. “You need to decide if what you’re accusing me of is because of me or you.”
“I don’t understand?” he asked, giving me a quick glance before focusing back on his work.
“Is it your own issues that cloud what you’re thinking, your own worry and upset, or do you really think this of me?”
His hands fisted, which sparked my own anger, but the tear that landed on the metal table hurt me, the soft sound echoing in my head. “You asked what’s going on with me, gave me time to sort it. Did you want to know or not because I’m damn sure there wasn’t an accusation in there?”
“Oh, it was implied,” I seethed. I moved behind him, my hands on the table so he was trapped. I pressed myself against every inch of his smaller frame that I could as I ran my nose along his neck. “You think this is guilt, maybe a desire to steal the twins from you?”
“No, not steal them,” he promised. “That never crossed my mind. You were too horrified at what you learned to even consider it.”
“Glad we agree on that.” I sucked on his earlobe to punish him for hurting me. “So get you into my bed so I can see them? Be in their lives?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What are you saying?”
He shook his head. “Please leave. You’re too upset and angry to talk. I don’t want you touching me when you’re like this. You asked what was going on, and I was honest, and now you’re taunting me. Just go.”
“I’m lashing out because your insinuations hurt me, not because I like to be an asshole,” I reminded him as I backed away. “I’m sorry I didn’t try to jump you and act like all you were was a piece of ass so you would believe I wanted you for you instead of guilt or whatever else is on your mind. Next time I’ll just strip you naked and fuck you like I want.”
I knew I took it too far, my heart hurting when he hunched into himself. I was afraid I’d say something else, so I stormed to the door, my heart shredding when I heard a quiet sob the moment I was outside of the garage.
“You are an asshole,” I whispered to myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. I’d lashed out way over what I should have when he was just trying to be honest. He’d hit the wrong nerve, and that was all I could focus on. People always thought I had an end game, it was part of being a Henning, but I wasn’t like them, and the one person who had never thought that of me just did.
It hurt worse than I could put into words.
“He is terrified,” Proximo said from my right. “He’s not thinking rationally, Linden. From the moment I met him, he’s been afraid. When he saw you yesterday he was so scared I was impressed he didn’t piss himself or his heart give out. He’s young, alone, from no mentionable family, and protecting precious cargo that more than your family will want. He’s been scared for years.”
“I know, I know,” I sighed, having seen it too. “He just hit the most sensitive and painful nerve, and I didn’t expect it from him.”
“Well, fix it because he’s also afraid what you might do now that he upset you.”
I met his gaze as I heard the warning in his tone. “I would never hurt him or risk the twins with my family. Zara wasn’t mated to my brother, and that gave her full parental control of them. She would have wanted them with no one but Zeke. I knew her as a child and adored her and her heart. I would never go against her wishes for her children, no matter what my last name is. I am their uncle too.”
“Good, now Zeke just heard that too,” Proximo muttered under his breath, making me realize my voice had gotten loud. “Excuse me, the woman I want to mate told me about the rainbow suckers and is excited for them so I want to bring her one.”
“She’s a lovely woman.”
“She is, and she has many admirers,” he grumbled as he went into the garage.
I bit back a laugh. Yeah, I could understand that frustration. I’d seen the many, many looks Zeke was already getting. He was sweet, kind, sexy as hell, loveable like
the twins, and all around a catch… And that was before he came with candy and sugar and chocolate.
I headed out to get my head on straight and obviously needing a bit more time to settle with what I’d found. Seneca was speaking with Alastair as I reached the camp, and they both gave me hesitant glances. “Spit it out, my mood is already shit.”
Seneca looked like he was biting back a smile but nodded. “We want to investigate Zeke’s claims.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Zeke would never lie about something like that. For one, he’s a shit liar from stealing a cookie as a kid all the way to—”
“Interesting that you immediately defend him and not your family,” Alastair muttered, studying me closely. “We believe him. He said ‘claim’ as Zeke didn’t give us names and much factual evidence. We want to look into the matter and end it.”
I flinched. “Define ‘it.’”
“Taking children from their mothers,” Seneca clarified. “We don’t care about one or a million bastards being born even if it’s to make more warriors. We need more.” He shrugged like so what. “It’s taking the children and whatever this training is going on. We worry it’s not through the normal or required channels.”
My heart sank into my stomach. “Because if they were going to camps, someone somewhere by now would have figured this out. There are too many warriors with strong gifts that would undoubtedly have learned at least some of the truth during training or transitions. You think my family has some sort of camp of their bastards.” I squatted down when it became hard to breathe, covering my head with my arms.
“Yes, I’m sorry, but it fits,” Seneca said gently. “We wanted to warn you what we were thinking before we contacted Mahala.”
I let out a dark chuckle as my eyes burned. “Here I thought breaking from them would ruin my reputation and career, and it will probably all end because of all my family has been doing and not backlash.”
“Mahala would never hold their actions against you,” Alastair defended.
“Of course not, but what Wyrok would ever want to work with someone from a family who did all of that? I wouldn’t take the risk. I couldn’t blame others either.”
“No, I couldn’t blame them,” Seneca whispered as he squatted down as well, rubbing my shoulder. “You’re stationed here for a while and helping us. Let’s look into the matter and see how bad it is, but there is always another scandal or crazy going on that quickly replaces the last one. I have seen it many times, and I’m sure you will be fine.”
I opened my mouth but then closed it. “I know. Honestly, I’m more upset I hurt Zeke and have no idea what to do. Screw being a Henning. I don’t care. Investigate and do what you need to.”
“Would you like help with him?” Alastair asked carefully. He waited until I nodded before pulling out his phone. “I texted Zibon. He’ll help. Zeke is the same age as him and his friends and they like him. They’ll make sure he’s okay.”
“Thanks, I mean it.” I walked around for a bit, completely lost in my head and not even registering the cold, until I stumbled upon the construction going on and decided to help. I was thrilled there was another project of digging bug out tunnels before the next foundation was laid. Perfect. It was hard labor and could be done solo. I grabbed a shovel and jumped into the trench.
A few hours later I had everything they needed dug out and felt more in control and wanted nothing more but to see Zeke. I headed to Gaius’s where I had a room for the moment and cleaned up. When I came back out of the bathroom, I sat down on the bed heavily and stared at my few boxes from what I’d brought from the Wyrok compound when I’d moved.
Two thousand years, and all I had were a few boxes. That was it. I was getting my Wyrok pay in a separate account now, and Seneca had handled that instead of dumping it on Mahala, but everything else I’d ever had was probably tossed out now that I’d cut ties with my family. I had wanted nothing more but to start over and have a real life, but one thing kept me tied to the past… And he was here.
It had always bothered me that I couldn’t find him, and I had planned to do it now that I was free, and here he was. And I was screwing everything up.
“I can do better than this,” I whispered, scrubbing my hands over my head before getting dressed. I headed back to Proximo’s and knocked on the back door when I didn’t hear anything in the garage. Proximo answered, giving me a onceover before stepping back to let me in.
“I cannot believe you managed to get toddlers to eat soup,” Marissa said to Zeke as they moved around the kitchen. “I mean, really, you should write a book with tips and tricks.”
“It’s not any soup,” he replied with a shrug. “And it took work. I kept making tomato basil soup with some sliced avocados in it and telling them it was adult food. They liked avocados already, so they wanted to try it. The trick is to put it in a cup for them so it’s super cool soup cups. I promised to make them some special just for us and then did grilled cheeses with avocados and they were hooked.”
“You are so damn cool,” I whispered, shaking my head. “How you have your act together like you do being so young and with crappy examples of parents is seriously impressive.”
“Um, thanks,” he muttered, not looking at me. “It’s only tomato and butternut squash. They’re not up to chunky anything yet or using spoons.”
“I had a creamy cauliflower soup that was really good if you want another option they might like,” I said, trying to keep the conversation going for something normal and mellow. “I’m useless with cooking, but I would think that’s along the same.”
“That sounds good,” Marissa interjected, clearly trying to help.
“Dad’s sad,” Evan blurted, moving in front of me like it was an accusation.
One I wouldn’t deny. “That’s—”
“I don’t think that’s something you should tell people, buddy,” Zeke cut in before I could accept blame. “And I didn’t say I was sad.”
Evan glanced between us and went over to Zeke, hugging his leg while he stirred the pot of what I guessed was soup. “You have cocoa parties when sad.”
He gave Evan a sad smile. “You are so smart. You’re right, I do. No one can be sad with good cocoa, and it makes me happy to share it with others.”
“Dad makes the best cocoa,” Ethan bragged. It took me a moment to catch what he said since they were toddlers. They spoke better than just about any toddlers I’d ever met, but still, they were kids and there was a bit of deciphering when talking to them.
“I’d like to try it,” I told him as I headed over to the counter. I sat on a stool next to his chair and smiled at him. “I love cocoa.” I glanced over at Zeke. “You don’t use the powdered stuff if you have so much chocolate, right?”
“The powdered stuff is blasphemous to a chocolatier just like instant coffee to a coffeehouse owner or bean roaster,” he answered. “Next you’ll ask if the whip cream comes out of a can. I have too high of standards when it’s for a cocoa party. One cup on the fly after bath time is one thing, but—”
“It better be worth the calories if we eat it,” Evan finished for him, coming over to me. “Dad, who is he?”
“Right, we haven’t done this officially,” Zeke muttered, giving me a worried look.
It took me a moment to figure out what he was thinking. I nodded that I got it and squatted down. “I’m Linden, an old friend of your dad’s. I knew him when he was your age.”
“He knew Mommy?” Ethan asked excitedly.
I glanced at Zeke, not sure how to answer that.
He swallowed loudly and nodded. “Yeah, he knew Mommy.”
I smiled when Evan held out his hands to me like he wanted to be picked up. I did and sat down with him on my lap, facing Ethan. “Your mom was an awesome woman. I knew her when she was little like you, and she was special. Very special just like your dad. You guys look just like they did. She was always smiling and nice to everyone like you guys are.”
“Can we visit Mommy?”
Evan asked quietly, giving Zeke a worried look.
“We visited before we moved, but we’ll go back and visit, I promise,” he rasped. “As much as I want you guys to visit her as often as you want, keeping you safe is more important, and it wasn’t safe there anymore.”
“Let’s fire up the griddle and get going on the grilled cheese,” Marissa offered, reaching over and rubbing Zeke’s shoulder. I knew right then I would move heaven and hell to make sure Zeke got a chance to visit his sister with the twins whenever he wanted.
5
After dinner was bath time for the three of us, and then we got dressed for the cocoa party, Marissa offering to help get the toppings set up from my supplies. I helped the twins down the stairs to head out to the garage, my mood improving with their giggles. It wasn’t good for them to have sugar before bed, but they could have a small cup, and I’d not only make it cooler for them but not so chocolate heavy.
Besides, they already looked pretty sleepy given after their nap Marissa and Proximo had played with them while we’d made dinner. It was nice to have something simple and quieter than the crazy cafeteria. The food was awesome, but there were so many people, and the twins needed a bit more consistency with the move.
“You are so damn adorable,” Linden chuckled as we walked into the garage.
It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about before my face flushed red hot. Crap, I hadn’t been thinking about what I was wearing.
“Dad likes penguins best,” Ethan giggled.
“That’s cool, I’m a bunny guy myself,” Gary told him with a bright smile. “I have a collection if you guys want to see it.”
I shot him a grateful look and explained. “All the humans who worked for me were single parents too or younger and on their own wanting to get in the business. When we did cocoa parties we all dressed for bed. I didn’t think about it.”
“I think any dad who gets matching feety pajamas with his kids is awesome,” Danek praised. He held his hands out to Evan who was holding my hand. He glanced between Danek and Linden before walking over to Gary like he was a safe choice and he knew him better.
