Bound Hearts [Breed Assassins 2] (Siren Publishing: The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection)

by Lynn Hagen

  “He was lying,” Eaton stated. “Quido might have pretended he wasn’t listening, but I could see the gleam of interest in his eyes.”

  “I’m going to gut that son of a bitch,” Kayden said. “I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance all those years ago.”

  “But none of that helps if we don’t know the runner’s name,” Thoran stated.

  Eaton beamed. “I remember.”

  “How?” Logan asked.

  “Because it was the weirdest name I’ve ever heard,” Eaton stated. “Katino Matino.” He chuckled. “Weird, isn’t it?”

  The entire crew grew silent, staring at Eaton as if they’d never seen him before. Kayden grew pale. No, he was more green than ashen. Thoran was gazing at Eaton with horror in his eyes. Nyk and Logan didn’t look any better. Dax’s eyes had grown so dark that the irises had bled into the pupils.

  “What?” Eaton asked.

  “Katino is Kayden’s twin,” Thoran stated in almost a hushed tone. “Are you sure?”

  Eaton’s mind raced through his memories. He could see the man as clear as day. “Do you have a photo?”

  Dax turned, punching his fingers over the console before a picture appeared on the viewscreen. It was with an article on the prince of Sator. The picture was in color and the man was smiling. “That’s him,” Eaton stated, remembering that toothy smile as if he’d seen the man just yesterday. “I swear on my life that’s the man who was in the tavern that day.” He turned toward Kayden. “I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn’t quiet place your face. If it wasn’t you who sold those people, then it was definitely your twin.”

  Kayden threw his head back and let go of an eerie howl, his claws and canines extending as his jaw began to protrude. Right before Eaton’s eyes, Kayden shifted into something Eaton had never seen before. He’d heard of wolf shifters, had mingled with them, but had never seen one in its true form. Kayden was as terrifying as terrifying could get. The man had grown two inches, stood on two legs, was as thick as three men, and had teeth that looked razor sharp.

  He was in his true lycan form. Most wolf shifters—from what Eaton had heard—shifted into four-legged creatures. Only when filled with bloodlust did they turn into their third form. Eaton swallowed so hard his throat hurt.

  “Turn this fucking ship around!” Thoran shouted at Logan. “Put us at warp ten and get us back to Sator!”

  The viewscreen came to life and Eaton assumed the guy on the screen was the Klackian they’d been bargaining with. “Going somewhere?” the man asked.

  “Back to Sator,” Logan answered.

  The guy laughed as if he was truly enjoying some private joke. That was until he spoke. “I see you’ve figured it out. The Royal House of Sator is as corrupt as Synia.” The man glanced at Kayden and smirked. “I see the Assassin has come to the realization that the royal family is all imposters.”

  They hadn’t known that. Eaton was surprised when no one gave away that fact.

  “Yeah, we figured it out,” Thoran stated as if he knew what the Klackian was talking about.

  “Too bad no one knows where the real family is,” the man said.

  “Ben Hur?” Logan asked.

  “Has no clue,” the guy answered. “He’s too busy with his own life to see the truth that is right in front of him. I’m only telling you this much because I owe Hur. Tell him my debt is paid.” The screen went dead.

  The ship jumped into hyperdrive as Dax’s fingers flew over the console. Eaton sat in the closest chair and buckled in, watching Kayden to make sure the creature didn’t come anywhere near him. Kayden was currently tearing apart the long banister that separated the captain’s chair from the rest of the bridge.

  “Should we sedate him?” Nyk asked. “If he tears a hole in the hull, we’re fucked.”

  Eaton’s heart was beating in his throat as the scene unfolded. Thoran moved to stand in front of Kayden, his arms wide. But when Kayden took a swipe at Thoran, Eaton’s mate…he…shifted. Eaton’s eyes grew wide as his entire body began to shake. Thoran moved in and took Kayden down.

  He’s your mate and wouldn’t hurt you. You’re carrying his child. Don’t be afraid.

  But that was easier said than done. The two fighting on the bridge was petrifying, to say the least. It was like watching mountains clash. The two smashed into a console on the right side of the bridge and the lights flickered.

  “Damn it!” Logan shouted. “Knock it off before we’re dead in space and can’t get our asses back to Sator.”

  This caught both wolves’ attention. Rage filled Eaton when he saw the long gash on Thoran’s chest. He unbuckled his belt and hurried over to his mate, standing between the two giants. He was scared as hell, but Eaton’s anger overrode his fear. “Hurt him again and I’ll…I’ll…make Jade a very unhappy man!” he shouted at Kayden who was still in his wolf form.

  “I’m scared of you, midget,” Nyk teased from across the bridge. Eaton turned and glared at the man before turning back to Kayden.

  “Don’t you ever touch my mate again!”

  “Holy fuck,” Logan said behind them. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Thoran was the first to shift back to his human form. Eaton didn’t like the fact that his mate was naked in front of others, but what bothered him more was the long wound on the man’s chest.

  “Because it’s none of your damn business,” Thoran snapped at Logan before pulling Eaton off his feet and tossing him over one broad shoulder. Thoran left the bridge. When they entered the corridor, he said, “You are in serious damn trouble, kitten.”

  “But I helped!” Eaton reminded the man. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

  “If you weren’t carrying my child, I’d spank you until you couldn’t sit. I told you to stay in my quarters.” His mate pinched Eaton’s ass.

  “Ow!”

  They entered Thoran’s room and his mate dropped him on the bed. “Do you know how dangerous it was for you to be on the bridge? What if things had gone south? Did you ever consider that I care more about your safety than anything else in this galaxy?”

  “But I helped,” Eaton repeated with a mutinous mutter as he crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his head in defiance.

  Thoran sighed as he sat down next to Eaton. “What you did was uncover a conspiracy that is about to put the Breed Assassins and Sator at war.”

  “That isn’t my fault.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Thoran answered. “But now we have to find a way to get Jade off that planet. We all better pray like hell that Kayden’s mate isn’t hurt or Sator will more than likely go up in flames.”

  “What did that guy mean by where the real family is? King Matino has been in power for as long as I can remember. How did an imposter get into the royal house?”

  “Good question,” Thoran replied. “Now I have to wonder if anything they said was the truth. Are the Breed Assassins really cousins, or was that a lie? Why did the imposters help us? Why did they send a fleet of guards to rescue us when we were pinned down? Nothing makes any sense.”

  All Eaton could do was shrug. He didn’t have any answers.

  Thoran glanced at Eaton and smiled. It was a handsome look on Thoran and one he needed to wear more often. “You looked pretty badass standing up to Kayden.”

  Eaton confessed the truth. “I was scared out of my mind. But when I saw your wound, I lost it.”

  “It was sexy.”

  Eaton could feel his cheeks heating under Thoran’s compliments. “You think so?”

  His heart picked up when Thoran leaned in, ready to kiss him. But he never got the chance.

  “Everyone on the bridge,” Logan said over the intercom.

  Thoran sighed before he got up and dressed. “I would tell you to stay put, but I have a feeling you won’t listen.”

  Eaton grinned. “You’re starting to get to know me.”

  Thoran growled playfully as he pulled Eaton from the bed. “Come on, my tough little kitte
n. Let’s go see what Logan wants.”

  When they reached the bridge, Eaton froze. The man on the viewscreen was even more evil looking than the Klackian. Didn’t the Breed Assassins know any friendly looking people? Why did they all have to look like deranged lunatics?

  Kayden turned toward them. He had on a pair of pants, but nothing more. He stood there bare-chested, his muscles impressing Eaton.

  “Eaton, this is Ben Hur.”

  Eaton’s blood ran cold at the name. The man’s features matched his frightening reputation. Eaton had heard some wicked stories about this guy. Ben Hur wasn’t known for his kindness or patience. The runner was as legendary as the Breed Assassins.

  “Tell him what you told us,” Kayden continued.

  Eaton’s knees felt weak and he couldn’t find his voice. Ben Hur was intimidating as hell. Eaton felt as if the man could kill him with just one glare.

  Thoran’s hand rested on Eaton’s back, giving him a measure of comfort. “Go ahead, Eaton,” his mate encouraged.

  Eaton stood there and repeated what he’d told the others. The longer he talked, the darker Ben Hur’s expression became until he resembled Satan himself. “You’re telling me that the king is an imposter, that the man I’ve known my entire life, my brother, isn’t who he says he is?”

  The deadly look almost succeeded in making Eaton’s legs give out from under him. “I’m telling you what took place in that tavern. As far as your family, the Klackian made that statement, not me.”

  Thoran ran his hand up Eaton’s back when Eaton began to shake. He wanted to go back to his room and not be forced to talk to this runner. He didn’t care if it made him look like a big coward. Eaton didn’t do well with confrontation. Not when the person intimidating him looked as if he could snap Eaton in half with a single thought.

  “I’ll deal with Korvex later,” Ben Hur said. “He’ll pay for keeping that information from me. As far as Nyda, do you know who the old man was with her?”

  Eaton shook his head. “The guy in the bar didn’t mention who the old man was.”

  “My father?” Kayden asked.

  “Possibly,” Ben Hur replied. “Once we find Nyda, we’ll know. Have you tried to reach Jade?”

  “No answer,” Kayden replied and Eaton could see the worry in the man’s eyes.

  “Katino must have Nyda and the old man stashed somewhere,” Dax said.

  “If they’re not dead already,” Ben said. “It’s a huge risk on Katino’s part to keep them alive. But that brat has always been arrogant. I wouldn’t put it past him to have them locked up somewhere just so he could taunt the two about how the kingdom was being ruled in their absence.”

  “But the Klackian said family,” Kayden pointed out. “What about my mother and sister?”

  “I don’t have an answer for you,” Ben replied. “But we’ll find out once we reach Sator.”

  Chapter Nine

  It took them a little over a month to reach Sator. Eaton was starting to get sick every morning, so Thoran’s theory of him being pregnant was starting to sink in. But Eaton didn’t have time to absorb what was happening to him or his body, not when the men were gathered around the tactical station plotting how they were going to overthrow the royal house.

  Ben Hur was there, more massive and intimidating in person. The runner hadn’t said a word to Eaton, but he still felt as if the man was watching him.

  “They have guards posted in these places,” Ben pointed out the locations on the map. “They also have a particle cannon mounted in the tower here. It never dawned on me how over the years the security has grown, strengthened.”

  The man sounded downright livid that he hadn’t bought a clue about what was happening on Sator. From the malice in the runner’s eyes, Ben Hur was going to make the imposters pay for what they’d done. Eaton didn’t blame the guy. The realization that he’d been duped had to be a painful blow.

  It was wise to have the man here, though. Who would know the planet’s defenses better than someone who’d been visiting Sator for years? If anyone could get them on the planet without being detected, it was the feared Ben Hur, the king’s brother.

  That bit of knowledge was still messing with Eaton’s head. The leader of the Marauders kept his familial ties well hidden. There wasn’t even a whispered rumor of who he really was or where he’d come from. The man’s name sent terror through the hearts of anyone who heard it. Ben was a legend.

  And he was standing right here on the bridge with Eaton. Just how many of those rumors were true about this man? Eaton wasn’t sure. He’d heard similar rumors about the Breed Assassins, but as far as he’d discovered, they were decent men, not the killing machines everyone said they were. They actually had honor and morals, a conscious. Perhaps Ben had started some of the rumors about himself just to protect his cutthroat image. He might not even be as ruthless as the rumors said he was.

  When Ben cut his eyes at Eaton, he quickly dismissed the thought that the runner might actually be nice. There was nothing human in his glare, nothing sane. His eyes were a golden amber and held a lethality that Eaton never wanted to witness firsthand.

  “It seems all angles have been covered,” Kayden said to Ben. “How are we going to get in undetected?”

  “The head guard owes me a favor,” Ben replied. “He’ll get us in without saying a word.”

  “You trust him that much?” Logan asked. “He works for the false king.”

  “If I say I can trust him, then I can fucking trust him.” Ben’s tone was biting.

  There was no love lost here. The runner wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy kind of man. Even among family the runner was icy. His posture was defensive and he looked as if he were ready to strike at any second.

  Eaton moved closer to Thoran. He stood behind his mate, placing his hands over the ones Thoran had tucked behind his back. The wolf shifter squeezed Eaton’s hands and Eaton felt reassured that he was safe, that Ben wasn’t going to grow two heads and kill everyone on the ship.

  Since becoming pregnant, Eaton had noticed a change in his mate. Thoran wasn’t so prickly anymore. Not when it came to Eaton. The guy was constantly checking on him and making sure he had whatever he needed. Even when Eaton got sick, Thoran was there to take care of him. Eaton had never considered himself the needy type. He hadn’t been that way back home. But since mating Thoran, he had looked to the man for guidance and protection.

  It could be the fact that he was out of his element, racing through the stars to unknown places. Eaton wasn’t big on change and being away from Crossover was a bit frightening.

  But Thoran eased a lot of Eaton’s worries. The man was his anchor, his security in a universe that seemed to be slowly unraveling. Eaton had listened a lot to the men’s chatter over the past couple of weeks. A peace treaty conference had been scheduled to take place, but from what the Breed Assassins said, that had been put on hold. None of them was sure what the Empire was up to, why the bounty had been placed on the men’s heads. Something was stirring but none of them knew what.

  “Snap at me again and we’ll find out who the baddest man on the block truly is,” Logan threatened. “I’m not your bitch, Ben. Don’t come at me like that.”

  The tension in the room was rising and Eaton was starting to feel a bit queasy with all the aggressive testosterone floating around. They were like chained Synian bulls chomping at the bit to get at each other, but just too far out of reach to do any damage.

  “Our best bet is to come in on this side.” Ben pointed to a position east of the palace, ignoring Logan’s threat. “I’ve already sent Tardyon an encoded message. He’ll be expecting us.”

  Everyone was under a lot of pressure. They all had cause to be. Eaton would be wrecked if he’d found out that his long-lost family wasn’t really who they pretended to be. He understood Kayden and Ben’s hostility the most. One was the king’s brother, the other his son. They had the most to lose, the most to be resentful about. But tearing each other apart wasn�
��t going to solve anything.

  “We need to gear up,” Kayden said to everyone. “We’re an hour away from Sator and I want to be prepared for anything that comes our way.”

  Thoran gripped Eaton’s hands tightly as everyone left the bridge. When they were alone, his mate turned to him. His jaw was clenched tight as he stared down at Eaton. “I don’t want you to be a part of this.”

  “But I have to help find Jade,” Eaton protested. “You told me he was expecting and there was no telling if he was harmed or not. If he was roughed up or worse, do you think he wants some huge, hulking man finding him? He needs someone smaller, someone his own height.”

  Thoran grunted. “That’s a load of crock and you know it. Jade is going to want Kayden. No one else.”

  “Okay,” Eaton said. “So maybe it is a load. But I’m not sitting on this ship while you guys go running into danger.”

  “We were trained for danger,” Thoran pointed out. “You weren’t.”

  “And if this ship is seized? Do you want me onboard if it’s blown to pieces?” Eaton was grasping at any excuse not to be left behind. The bond between him and Thoran had grown strong, so strong that he became physically ill when not in his mate’s presence. It was as if they’d become one, a single soul, bound hearts and souls. There was no way in hell he could watch as Thoran raced into the unknown while Eaton stayed behind to sit on his thumbs.

  “And if you’re hurt while we overthrow the palace, petit chat? How will I live with myself then?” His hand skimmed over Eaton’s stomach. “There is more than just you to consider.”

  Eaton shivered at Thoran’s touch. “Exactly. If you get hurt, what will me and the baby do? We’re relying on you to stay safe.”

  Thoran’s eyes softened. A smile tipped the side of his mouth. “I will always return to my family. Nothing but death will keep me from you.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Eaton said.

  “Ben’s Marauders will be joining us soon. We’ll have plenty of men on our side,” Thoran said. “The chances of me not returning are slim.”