Xanthe's Choice [Grey River 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Maia Dylan

  Hunter had been given a larger dose of Jax than he had. Dane knew that Hunter was close to dying, and his lion had roared his displeasure at the possibility of losing him. Dane had been paralyzed due to the effects of the drugs, but he had roared right along with him. Opening the link to his partner in that moment, Dane had fed his own life force and strength down that bond, forcing Hunter to survive.

  And he had.

  Dane had successfully given his own strength to Hunter to keep him alive and breathing until the rest of their team arrived to help. This was something that he had only heard of ever happening between the truly fated. There weren’t many lion shifters in the world and the communities had turned to drugs and magic in order to procreate if lions were unable to find their Fated mates. His parents had been truly mated, and had never had to turn to help in order to fall pregnant. Hunter’s parents, however, were not, and they had forced their mating to enable their pride to grow.

  So Dane knew something that even Hunter did not. He and Dane were Fated mates and the bond that existed between them was there because of that. He thought back to the day that everything had changed for him and Hunter.

  It had been the night before Hunter’s eighteenth birthday, a year after Dane’s, and the two of them had been talking about what they planned to do after graduation. Hunter had always wanted to go into the military. Dane figured he had nothing better planned for his life, so why not follow the friend who had been by his side since they were in grad school?

  “I’m telling you, Dane,” Hunter said as they lay in the dark room they had shared in Hunter’s house since the day Dane had lost both his parents in a car accident when he had been nine years old. “Girls and guys go fucking crazy for men in uniform. We’ll have our pick of lovers, especially once we make officers.”

  Dane grinned in the darkness. As far as he was concerned, that was one hell of an incentive. He and Hunter had suffered the same fate as many teenagers around the world when it came to defining who they were sexually. There had been some pretty dark moments for both of them until they came to the realization that they were bisexual. So they were brothers in all things, even their sexuality, and it made something that they knew their pride would not accept acceptable to them. And that was just fine with them.

  In that moment, Dane had been about to say something when he felt a sudden rending within him and he pressed a palm to his chest. Then there was an almost audible snap of a connection closing, and Dane froze, his heart pounding erratically.

  “What the hell?” And although Dane had been thinking those exact words, they had in fact come from Hunter.

  “Did you feel that?” Dane whispered into the dark.

  “Yeah, I did. What that hell was that?” Hunter asked and Dane heard him shuffling around before the lamp beside his bed blazed to life. Dane blinked a couple of times for his eyesight to adjust to the light, then he looked over at Hunter and every muscle in his body tensed. Hunter’s eyes blazed amber as his lion lurked close to the surface, but that was not what had Dane tensing.

  What made him tense and anxious and scared beyond anything he had ever feared in his whole goddamn life was the way their gazes locked on to each other. It was almost as if, despite having spent almost every day of his life seeing Hunter, his soul said, “Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

  Hunter’s eyes widened and when the lion cleared from his gaze, Dane saw the same tension and fear in Hunter’s eyes that he knew would be mirrored in his.

  “Fuck.” Dane flinched when he heard Hunter’s voice in his head.

  “Hunter,” Dane sent back and knew Hunter heard him when he saw him flinch the same way Dane had. “What the hell is this?”

  “I don’t know.” Hunter’s voice was quiet, almost breathless with confusion, and it had Dane’s lion baring its throat. Hunter was the more dominant of the two and Dane had always known and accepted that. To see him confused and scared meant that this was worse than Dane had initially thought. Not knowing what to do with this new development, he and Hunter did what any other eighteen-year-old would do: they told their parents, hoping for answers.

  Dane came back to the present in hospital visitors’ lounge and let out a humorless laugh. They may have hoped for answers but what they got was recrimination and disgust. Made to feel so damn depraved and wrong, that the two of them ignored the bond like it wasn’t there. It had been the worst night of Dane’s life, until that moment with Baxter when he thought Hunter was going to die, and then the night more recently when Xanthe had been at death’s door.

  Because of what happened the night, they asked Hunter’s parents what it meant. They hid the link and never spoke of it again. They both agreed that they would never tell another soul about that bond, and they continued with their plans and their lives. Dane had always thought it was amazing that the two of them had remained as close as they had all these years. Denying something like that had taken a toll, but it could have been so much worse.

  Sighing, Dane stood up and tipped the now-cold coffee down the sink and threw the paper cup in the trash before making his way back toward Xanthe’s room. Since they had found Xanthe and realized that the Fates had an even more unique triad mating in store for them, Dane had known that there was going to have to be a full and frank discussion between him and Hunter.

  Dane hoped like hell that at the end of the conversation they would find a way for them to stay together and be the mates Xanthe deserved, and Dane was determined that he could quash the feelings he had for Hunter just as he had for the past fourteen years. The alternative would see him leaving Grey River and leave Hunter and Xanthe to the happiness they both deserved. Hell, he loved them enough to walk away and make it easier for them both to move on with their lives.

  Knowing that it would likely kill him to do it, he figured without them, life would hold no interest anyway.

  Chapter 4

  “Oh, Sophia!” Xanthe breathed as she walked around her fully stocked and well-maintained store. “I have no idea how I am going to ever thank you for what you have done here.” Hunter watched as the young woman Xanthe was praising turned a delightful red color but grinned happily at the praise.

  Sophia was only eighteen years old, but from what Hunter had heard, she was wiser beyond her years due to her upbringing. Sophia had been born into a religious cult that had kidnapped women and held them against their will, using religion and a self-proclaimed prophet of god as the excuse to do so. The crazy bastards had kidnapped Faith just over two years ago, and it had taken a category four tornado to get her back for Ty and Trent.

  The silver lining of the ordeal that Faith had been subjected to over the two years of her captivity was that she’d rescued the children from that environment. All of them had been adopted and were doing well. Sophia had been adopted by Judy, George, and Henry Jamieson, Ty and Trent’s parents, and she was about to start her second year of college. She was studying to complete a double degree in law and criminal psychology. Hunter suspected that her past had a lot to do with her career choice.

  “You don’t have to thank me, Xanthe,” Sophia said as she returned Xanthe’s hug. “Mom and I have loved looking after the store for you. Heck, I have even loved following your soap and lotions recipes and mixing them up. Which for me is amazing, because I think I may be the only female in Grey River who has ever managed to actually burn boiling water.”

  The two women laughed and Xanthe continued to heap praise on the young woman who had helped to keep her business ticking over. When Judy Jamieson walked in, Xanthe opened up to include her in her thanks. Hunter was so lost in the moment, watching his mate in her natural environment and seeing her more relaxed than he had ever seen her, he almost missed the rising anger coming down the bond that led to Dane.

  He turned his head quickly to where Dane stood staring at the ground just in front of the main counter in the store, knowing exactly where he was in the room. For reasons Hunter was still unprepared to explore or pinpoint,
he had a sixth sense or built-in radar that told him where Dane was in a room at all times, so he was able to lay eyes on Dane fairly quickly. Judging by the rigidity in the muscles of his back and the fists he formed with his hands, Dane was fighting a rage that could have him shifting if he didn’t gain control.

  “Dane!” Hunter shouted down their link, putting as much dominance in his voice as he could, and he saw his partner and friend jolt and then freeze. He and Dane were similar in many ways, but they both knew that Hunter was the more dominant lion of the two. “You will calm the fuck down. What do you think will happen if you shift right now, huh? You will scare the shit out of the three ladies, all three of whom are related to the goddamn alphas of the fucking shifter pack we intend to pledge fealty to, so pull your ever-loving shit together.”

  “She died. Right here, Hunter,” Dane’s lion was close to the surface, making his voice deeper and a lot more gravelly than usual. “That bastard Baxter threw her over the fucking counter, and she hit one of those damn large display cabinets and she. Fucking. Died.” Dane turned to look back at Hunter and there was pain and a whole shitload of rage in his eyes.

  “I know, I was here too, Dane.” Hunter stepped forward and placed his hand on Dane’s shoulder. He felt a lot of the tension and rigidity slide away at his touch. Hunter pushed away the thought about why Dane would calm at his touch. “I see her there too, but there is nothing we can do about that night. We can’t resurrect the fucker and then shred him to pieces. That kind of shit is just not done. Apparently there are laws.”

  Hunter felt more than saw Dane smile and knew he his friend had gained control again. He made a mental note to ensure he made it possible for Dane to get out and run as his animal for a time.

  “Sure would be good if we could though, right?” Dane turned slightly to look back at him and Hunter swallowed a sudden lump in his throat as he looked into the blue eyes of his best friend in this world, and his heart rate sped up. Yet another thing he pushed down and refused to analyze. “I would love the opportunity to rip that man to pieces and dine on his intestines.”

  Hunter grinned wryly and shook his head, “And what a lovely thought to have in my head this close to lunch time.” The two looked at each other for a moment. Then, almost as if they both realized at the same moment they had in fact been staring at each other quite intently, they stepped apart and looked around the room. Hunter felt confusion ripple through his entire being and he had the horrible thought that he and Dane were going to have to have a full and frank conversation very soon. And it would be one that would change everything between them forever.

  Not wanting to think about that too much—and, yeah, he did realize that there was a lot in his life that he quashed or filed away mentally to deal with at a later date, but he figured no one would blame him for his hesitation—he turned back toward Xanthe. He stopped short when he saw that she was standing there alone, leaning up against one of the display stands in the store. She was looking at him and Dane intently and had her head tilted to the side.

  “Um, where did the Jamiesons go?” Dane asked as he moved over to the counter and began to straighten the already immaculately presented product. Dane hated being on the back foot or feeling out of his depth and would often look for something he could do that would allow him to focus on that rather than the discussion or person in the room.

  Hunter thought that was ironic considering if the situation were a military or enforcer operation, Dane had the patience of a saint. He was renowned for his sniper skills and could wait unmoving for hours on his targets to get into the optimum position for success. But put him in a situation where he might be asked about his feelings or have to address something he felt unprepared to deal with and the man fidgeted.

  “I asked them nicely if they wouldn’t mind going next door for a moment,” Xanthe explained, her tone soft, and her gaze quizzical. “I didn’t want them around to hear the conversation I think we are about to have.”

  Hunter looked at Dane, and they shared a quick awkward look before they both returned their gaze to the beautiful blond woman across the room who suddenly looked sad.

  “Yeah,” Xanthe said her voice soft, “we definitely need to have a conversation, but I think I have a clearer understanding of what the outcome will be now.” She took a deep breath and pushed off from the display unit. Walking toward them with her arms wrapped around her waist. Hunter’s lion went on alert, and he knew that the lion inside him was just as concerned about what was going to happen next as he was. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Xanthe was psyching herself up to let them go.

  “Xanthe—” Hunter started to talk, wanting to say something before Xanthe ended things between them before they had even begun or said something that would change things between him and Dane before Hunter was really ready to have them change. But she held up her hand with a shake of her head, and he stopped.

  “It’s okay, Hunter,” Xanthe said with a smile, but he couldn’t help but notice it never reached her eyes. “I think I may have misinterpreted a few things, and if I have made the two of you uncomfortable in any way, then I am so very sorry.”

  “What are you talking about?” Dane asked, confusion written all over his face. “I don’t think there is anything here between us that you could have misinterpreted.”

  “I have always known that my future lay as one member of a strong and loving triad,” Xanthe explained, but didn’t quite look them in the eye. “My gift had always shown me that, and I took great solace in it. When I came to in that hospital, I thought I had felt a connection between the three of us, but it may well have been just me feeling an echo of what exists between the two of you. And that’s okay. I think that I might have just gotten a little carried away imaging us as a triad when it is quite clear that you two are already mates.”

  “What? Don’t be crazy. Why would you think that?” Dane asked as he looked at him, and Hunter could feel Dane’s anxiety swamp him down the link between.

  “Because, sweetie,” Xanthe said gently as she stepped into Dane and raised her hand to gently cup his cheek. “You two are bonded. I know what it looks like when two people are talking telepathically. They look exactly like the two of you did right this moment and there can only be one reason why.”

  Xanthe turned toward him, and Hunter felt like the world had just dropped from below his feet and he had nothing to tether himself, too. “You do know that, right?” Xanthe asked him as she held out a hand toward him. Unable to resist her simple request, Hunter stepped toward her and took her hand. He shivered as he felt a jolt of connection rocket through him.

  Hunter knew exactly what Xanthe was talking about. Hell, he had known all his life that his connection to Dane was stronger than anything else he’d ever had with any other human being. Hunter realized for the first time that potentially that was why he never looked too hard at the reason behind their link or the fact that whenever Hunter thought of the future, Dane was right there with him.

  “Yeah, I do know that.” Hunter sighed and looked at Dane, who wore the same expression, one filled with a wary nervousness that held more than just a sprinkling of dread. If this went to shit, as it might well do, then they would not only lose their Fated female mate, but this could quite possibly be the end of a partnership that had shaped Hunter into what he was today. And it scared the hell out of him. “But we have never acted on it or even truly acknowledged it since the night it snapped into place.”

  “Well, I think it’s about time that you did,” Xanthe whispered, sad smile still in place. “Now, you two take the time you need here to talk things through. You know, since I woke up and I’ve gotten to spend time with you both, I always thought how nice it would be to have someone in my life mean as much and care for me as much and you do for each other. I’m going to head next door and catch up with Rowena and Angel. Just pull the door closed behind you both when you leave.”

  Xanthe turned to leave and Hunter had to fight every instinct within him n
ot to follow her. He sensed movement from his right and reached out a hand to stop Dane as he moved to stop her. In a weird way it made Hunter a little more confident about the conversation they were about to have knowing that he and Dane were on the same page. As always.

  Hunter, his hand still on Dane’s arm stopping him from following Xanthe, turned so that he faced Dane. He watched for a moment as Dane seemed to tense, then turned to face him as well, but stepped back so that he leaned against Xanthe’s counter and folded his arms across his chest.

  “What the hell are we doing, Hunter?” Dane asked, and Hunter heard the trepidation in his tone.

  “Having a conversation that we should have had years ago.” Hunter paused as a sudden thought came to him. “But I think we were meant to wait until we met Xanthe to have this conversation. That way we start our mated lives, our lives, as a true triad at the same time. I also have a feeling that if we don’t get this right, we’ll miss our window with that amazing woman.”

  Dane frowned, and his gaze dropped to the ground. Even though Dane was six months older and had a couple of inches and a good twenty pounds on Hunter, he had always been the less dominant of the two. Ever since they befriended each other in grade school, Hunter had been the one to make the major decisions in their lives, and Dane was more than willing to follow.

  Hunter had made the decision to go into the military and Dane signed up at the same time. Then, when the Enforcers came calling, it was Hunter who made the decision for them. The Enforcers were employed by the Shifter Council. They helped to keep the peace between shifters around the world and handed out the council’s justice to Shifters who thought they were beyond the law. Ty and Trent currently led the council, and Hunter, Dane, and the rest of the enforcers reported directly to them.