Unraveled Heart [The Exiled 5] (Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection)

by Lynn Hagen

  He was a Hunter. Sworn to take down as many monsters as he possibly could, and that was exactly what he would do.

  Chapter Six

  The drive was peaceful and gave Palmino time to check out his new toy. As soon as he’d strapped into his seat, he’d whipped out his phone and started checking all the features it had come with.

  He discovered the app section and was in heaven. By the time Silo spoke, he’d already installed five games. Palmino’s brows shot up when the phone was snatched from his grip. Silo tossed it into the pocket in his door.

  “Why’d you do that?” Palmino demanded, already missing it.

  “Because someone promised me road sex.” Silo ran his fingers through the ends of Palmino’s pink hair and then gave the strands a slight tug. “Can I see what your hair looks like in another color?”

  “You don’t like the pink?” Palmino was spared any disparaging comments from his boss since Mr. Cooper hadn’t shown up at the shop today. Unsure if his boss even watched the security footage, Palmino had no idea if he was in for a lecture tomorrow or if he’d be spared from the jerk’s smartass comments.

  “I love the pink,” Silo said and Palmino heard the honesty in his voice. “Just curious to see what you look like with… I don’t know, maybe purple or blue.”

  With a wave of his finger, Palmino decided to go with black hair with dark blue highlights. “How’s that?”

  Silo grinned. “Damn, that looks sexy on you.” He tugged the strands again. “Now make good on your promise, my little fairy.”

  The thought of sucking Silo’s dick had Palmino’s getting hard. He slid across the seat and ran his hand over Silo’s crotch, making sure his mate saw him licking his lips. Silo groaned as his gaze flicked between Palmino’s mouth and the road. “Gonna tease me?”

  “You want to be teased?” Palmino sucked on his mate’s earlobe and then his neck. “Or do you want me to get right to business and shove your fat cock down my throat?”

  The truck swerved a bit before Silo righted it. “Jesus, Palmino. I want you to get down to business.”

  Silo’s voice was a bit shaky and tight. Palmino could tell his question nearly had the winged beast coming in his pants. He liked that he had that effect on his mate as he gripped Silo’s package and gave it a tug. The girth was thick, and Palmino stroked the outline as he used his other hand to unfastened Silo’s pants.

  The smell of Silo’s arousal filled the truck, making Palmino’s mouth water and his hole throb to be filled. He scooted down and mouthed the head through Silo’s boxer briefs, eliciting a moan from his mate.

  “You’re a cocktease,” Silo said with a slight growl. The driver’s seat slid back slightly, giving Palmino a bit more room to play. The Hummer slowed as Silo worked his jeans down to his thighs, and then they sped back up.

  Silo’s thick, veiny cock lay against his flat stomach, the head swollen and reddish-purple. Palmino shoved his face toward Silo’s balls, inhaling the deep, musky scent that was all man. God, how he loved that smell. He was so turned on that he pressed his palm against his trapped erection. The pressure did nothing to relieve the throbbing. If anything, it made his need climb higher.

  “Gonna just smell me?” Silo’s voice was still tight, and Palmino could tell the man’s teeth were clenched. He smiled to himself at Silo’s desperation. His mate wanted him, badly. That knowledge made Palmino’s heart swell. Nobody had ever wanted him that much. No past lover had been this hungry for him, and the feeling was a high all on its own.

  Palmino wasn’t sure if it was too soon to start falling in love, but when he thought of Silo, his heart sped up and his chest tightened with happiness. It had to be love because the thought of spending a single day without his winged beast twisted his gut.

  Silo slid his hand down Palmino’s back, past his waistband, teasing Palmino’s crack before tapping at his pulsing hole. The action pulled Palmino out of his thoughts.

  “You’re not allowed to tease me,” he said as Silo circled his finger around the puckered hole.

  A second later, the tip of Silo’s finger breached the ring of muscles and sank deep. Palmino’s eyelids fluttered closed for a second before he took the mushroom head into his mouth. Silo’s precum exploded on his taste buds as Palmino moaned, hummed, and licked into the slit. He felt ravenous; wanting every inch of Silo’s hardened flesh down his throat. He couldn’t get enough of his mate’s taste, the feel of Silo’s cock in his mouth, or the groans and hisses his mate made. All of that spurred Palmino on.

  As Silo pumped his finger in and out of Palmino’s ass, Palmino bobbed his head, taking his mate’s cock deep and then pulling back to gently suck at the head, only to take him deep again.

  The need to feel Silo’s weighted balls was overwhelming. Palmino cupped them in his other hand and tugged at them as the sac drew closer and closer to Silo’s body. The world seemed to fall away. The noises outside the Hummer disappeared. Palmino was lost in what he was doing, the need to make his mate come his only goal. He was desperate to feel and taste Silo’s cum shooting down his throat, so he squeezed his throat muscles as he bobbed his head.

  “Shit…just…shit.” Silo’s thighs went taut, straining as his finger drove deep into Palmino’s ass. The Hummer jerked before it came to a hard stop. Silo shifted the gear to Park, and then moved the seat all the way back. “Real close, babe.”

  Palmino doubled his efforts, licking, sucking, moaning, and wiggling his ass to remind the man not to leave him hanging. Palmino pulled off Silo’s cock long enough to yank his shirt free. When he engulfed the hardened flesh again, his wings fluttered furiously.

  “God, you’re so damn beautiful, Palmino.”

  Palmino’s heart melted at the statement. After being told he wasn’t gorgeous enough to belong to the dark fairies, his mate’s words were a balm to his bruised ego.

  Releasing Silo’s balls, Palmino worked his pants down. Silo helping him as much as he could before Palmino was able to wrap his fingers around his own cock, stroking it with a frenzied hand.

  “There…there…right there,” Silo said before his body went stiff. Palmino was rewarded with throbbing pulses of seed spurting down his throat. It was as if a geyser had erupted, and Palmino tried his best to drink every last drop, but some escaped and dribbled down his chin as Silo made a straining, grunting noise as he came.

  The smell of Silo’s release triggered Palmino’s. His ass clamped around the man’s finger as his hand filled with cum. He sucked his mate even harder as his orgasm shattered him.

  When Silo’s body began to relax, Palmino eased off his mate’s withering cock as the finger slid from his body. His energy was zapped as he rested his forehead on Silo’s beefy thigh, waiting for his brain to reboot. Palmino heard Silo’s ragged breathing, and they stayed that way for several moments, neither saying a word as the humming from their fading climax slowly slipped away.

  Silo’s hand grazed Palmino’s neck and then cupped his jaw as his mate slowly lifted his head. Palmino stared up into those baby blues, smiling at just how satiated the winged beast appeared. Silo’s eyes still had that glassy look as his fingers caressed Palmino’s jaw. “Fuck, that was…damn.”

  Palmino chuckled. “Yeah, I agree.”

  Silo pulled him up until their faces were mere inches apart. Palmino watched in fascination as Silo licked the seed from Palmino’s hand. He sucked every digit and then licked the palm. “I love how you taste.”

  The man was about to make Palmino hard again as he watched Silo’s pink tongue snake along his skin. When his mate was finished, their lips brushed, and Silo’s tongue slid over Palmino’s bottom lip before plunging deep. His mate tasted his own release in Palmino’s mouth

  Palmino felt lazy, drained, and needed a nap. He wanted to collapse against Silo’s strong chest and stay that way for the rest of the night. Too bad they were in a truck and on the side of a highway. Then again, at this point, Palmino didn’t give a rat’s ass.

  Silo patte
d Palmino’s naked backside. “Fix your clothes. I’m starving now.”

  “Aw,” Palmino complained. “I just want to sleep.”

  His mate patted his butt again. “You can sleep once I get back on the road.”

  It wasn’t the same as sleeping against his mate’s chest. No fair. But Palmino did as the man asked and leaned back. He started to pull his jeans back up, but Silo grabbed the handle of the glove box and came away with some tissue. Palmino cleaned up the remnants of his cum and then drew his pants back into place. He drew his shirt on over his head before settling back. His side reminded him that he’d been leaning over the console to get to Silo. It ached slightly, but Palmino would take that ache any day to taste his mate.

  He tossed the tissue into the pocket of the door as Silo readjusted his seat and then pulled back onto the road.

  As his mate drove, Palmino studied the man’s profile. How could Palmino’s heart hold so much emotion for one person? The thought both thrilled and scared him. Silo’s job wasn’t exactly safe, and if something ever happened to his mate, Palmino wasn’t sure what he would do. The fear of losing Silo had him ready to beg his mate to get into a safer line of work.

  But that would never happen. Silo had told him as much. His job was to protect the world from hellhounds, and Silo wasn’t the type to walk away from such responsibility.

  When Silo handed Palmino his phone, he took it but set it aside, simply enjoying the ride with his mate.

  * * * *

  The following morning Palmino had stepped onto the curb as he headed to work when he saw the sheriff arresting the man who had come into the shop the day before.

  “What’s going on?” he asked Kyle, who stood just outside the door.

  “Have no clue,” Kyle said. “I brought the sidewalk sign outside and saw Sheriff Dekalb arresting the suit guy.”

  Palmino’s brows dipped low when the guy in the expensive-looking suit glared at them. “Is he mean-mugging us?” Palmino asked.

  “Looks that way,” Kyle said.

  Palmino would have asked the sheriff, but he didn’t know the guy, and he was pretty sure that legally, Dekalb couldn’t tell him. Besides, Palmino didn’t want to get that close to the man being arrested. He had gotten a weird vibe from the man and still didn’t know why.

  “Let’s get inside before he tries to escape, grabs the sheriff’s gun, and then comes after us,” Palmino said.

  Kyle chuckled. “You have a vivid imagination. He’s in cuffs in the backseat. He’s not getting away.”

  “So you say.” Palmino headed into the floral shop. He didn’t like the glares the guy had given him and Kyle.

  Palmino looked around the shop with raised brows. “Just how early did you get here?” he asked when Kyle walked through the door. The place was a cluttered mess with pieces of decorations scattered everywhere. Palmino noticed the large display in the window. It looked as if Kyle had been working at it for hours. Where wreaths really that big?

  “You like?” Kyle asked with a smile. “I have everything set out to make some cornucopia centerpieces. I think half the town ordered one. We also have half a dozen orders for candles decorated like pumpkins, a few turkey-themed centerpieces, and some gold, red, and orange decorated plants. It’s gonna be another busy day.”

  Although Palmino didn’t say it, he was starting to get into the holiday spirit. He pretended to be put out but enjoyed spending the day making the orders. He even tapped his foot to the music coming from the corner speaker as Kyle showed him how to make the decorative candles.

  Chapter Seven

  “Grab us a table,” Palmino said as they entered the bustling tavern. “I need to run upstairs for something.”

  With a nod, Silo found the last booth available and slid onto the cushioned seat. Theo’s was definitely busy for a Thursday night. A few guys drinking at a table shouted at a game of football on one of the TVs mounted on the wall. The smell of hamburger, steak, and fries made Silo’s stomach rumble. He hoped Palmino didn’t take too long.

  As soon as he grabbed a menu from the holder, Lucas was at his table, brushing his hair from his eyes as he smiled at Silo. “What’ll you have?”

  “I’m waiting for my…boyfriend.” He knew from Bryck that the human had no idea about the preternatural world, and Silo wasn’t going to be the one to clue him in. “But while I wait, I’ll have a cold beer.”

  “Bottle or tap?” Lucas asked as he used his white rag to wipe some crumbs off Silo’s table.

  “Tap will do,” Silo said.

  “Cold one coming right up.” As Lucas weaved through the tables, Silo noticed Bryck standing behind the bar and following Lucas’s every move. Nikoli had told him about Bryck’s little obsession with the human. Silo didn’t see why the gray wolf didn’t just tap that ass and get the guy out of his system.

  Silo looked at the empty seat in front of him when someone slid into his booth. Nazaryth sat across from him, a tumbler of amber liquid in one hand. Over his commander’s shoulder, Silo noticed a table with a few winged beasts. How had he missed that?

  “Would’ve been nice to hear it from the horse’s mouth,” his commander said. He took a sip of his drink and then set the glass on the table. “Wondered why you haven’t been to the castle in a few days.”

  Silo knew Nazaryth was still smarting over Nikoli moving out. Not that their commander would ever hold any of them back, but they were a tight-knit family, and Nikoli leaving must’ve felt like Nazaryth was losing a part of that family.

  Silo saw too much of Nikoli to miss the winged beast. The guy was at the floral shop every day, and before finding his zaterio, Silo had been hanging at Nikoli and Kyle’s house.

  “Sorry, I was just busy with my zaterio.”

  “Understandable.” Nazaryth nodded as he twirled the glass in front of him. “But I wanted to talk to you about something else.”

  Silo checked his watch before he nodded.

  “Timing me?” Nazaryth swallowed the last his drink before setting the tumbler at the end of the table for a waiter to grab.

  “Nah, just waiting on my zaterio.” Silo glanced toward the kitchen door, but saw no sign of Palmino. What could possibly be so important to make his mate hurry upstairs like that?

  Nazaryth tapped his knuckles on the table, gaining Silo’s attention. He glanced at his commander. “Sorry, did you say something?”

  Nazaryth chuckled. “Being in love can definitely put that googly-eyed look on a man’s face.”

  The last thing Silo wanted was for his commander to point out his goofy expression. “You said you needed to talk to me about something?”

  Both men turned at the sound of a crash. Lucas stood by the kitchen door wearing a frustrated expression as he bent to pick up his fallen tray of broken glass and spilled basket of nachos.

  “I got a call from Zeus,” Nazaryth said. “The sheriff arrested someone earlier, someone who tried to cut a deal with some very interesting information.”

  “What kind of information?”

  “He has an outstanding warrant in Kansas. Sheriff Dekalb ran his license when the guy drove through a red light. When Dekalb booked him, the man said he had information about Joe Hephner, but he wasn’t going to talk unless the sheriff was willing to negotiate.”

  Silo stiffened at Hephner’s name. He hadn’t heard it in over two decades. Hephner belonged to a group that wanted nothing more than to kill as many preternatural beings as they could. From what Silo had heard, Hephner was trying to gather intel so he could expose the existence of all nonhumans. But he wasn’t just a member, he was their leader. “Where the hell has he been and why resurface now?”

  “That, my friend, is the million-dollar question,” Nazaryth said as Lucas brought Silo his mug of beer. The guy appeared frazzled still, his smile wobbly.

  “Just wave your hand to get my attention when you’re ready to order,” Lucas said. He took off toward the bar without waiting for a reply

  “All the other packs, co
vens, and whatnot have been alerted about his resurfacing.” Nazaryth pushed from the booth and stood at the end of the table. “Keep a close eye on your zaterio. We all know Hephner likes to use the people we care about to try and get what he wants.”

  “Thanks.” Silo had started to get up to go check on his fairy when Palmino pushed through the kitchen door, heading his way. Silo breathed a sigh of relief as Palmino stopped to stare up at Nazaryth.

  “You one of Silo’s friends?” his mate asked. He stuck his hand out, brandishing his beautiful smile. “I’m Palmino.”

  Nazaryth looked him over. “Seems what I heard was wrong.”

  Palmino glared at Nazaryth. “You know, I’m getting mighty tired of being judged by how I first acted when I got to town. I was scared and being attacked by”—Palmino lowered his voice—“a soul-sucking demon. Sue me for being a less-than-friendly fairy.”

  Nazaryth glanced at Silo. “I like him.” He looked Palmino over. “So where do you hide your wings? An associate of mine told me they’re very colorful, thin, and are more like butterfly wings than a winged beast’s feathery ones. Small, too.”

  “Who told you that?” Silo asked.

  “Maverick,” Nazaryth answered. “Seems there’s a fairy in Dalton Falls.”

  Silo became uncomfortable with the conversation. Nazaryth had a way of seeing the truth, and he didn’t want the guy studying Palmino too closely. “I’ll keep an eye out while I’m in town.”

  With a nod, Nazaryth joined the other winged beasts as Palmino slid into the cushioned seat Nazaryth just vacated. “What was that all about?”

  Silo explained what a Hunter was first and then told Palmino about Hephner and the threat.

  “You said the guy was arrested this morning?” Palmino paled slightly.

  “Yeah, why?” It was Silo’s turn to sit there and listen to his mate tell him about the stranger in the suit who had taken pictures of Palmino and Kyle.