Robin so much wanted to hug Jay, tell him everything would be all right, but nothing was further from the truth. The danger wasn’t over yet.
INSIDE THE house, Robin trailed behind Jay and Tim, who stayed silent. Robin was pretty sure Tim and Jay communicated telepathically because their energy lines whirled, and Jay’s lines especially sparked high, like little volcano eruptions.
He’d never given it much thought, but right now Robin pondered why the telepathy worked so differently. Jay could only communicate telepathically with Tim but not with anyone else, but they assumed the reason for this was that Jay wasn’t a pure werewolf. Shouldn’t Robin be able to have the same connection with Peter? All mates could talk telepathically with each other; it was a key attribute of being mated. Did that mean he and Peter weren’t really mated?
He rubbed his temples with his fingertips, recognizing the first signs of an impending headache.
“We are mated. You do not need to worry about it,” Peter whispered.
Robin stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw dropping. “How can you know what I was thinking? You can only know that if you’re somehow in my head! I have never heard of anyone who could read another one’s thoughts. It’s… not right to intrude like that!”
The others stopped with curious expressions on their faces, but Peter encouraged them to go on to the living room. Will shut the door behind them, and then Peter rested his hands on Robin’s shoulders.
“I cannot read your mind.”
“But you have to! There’s no other way for you to have known what I was thinking. Either you’re lying to me—which I don’t really believe—or it’s subconscious.”
“It’s neither of those possibilities. It’s all visible in your energy lines and your face.”
“My face?” Robin echoed.
“Yes. Every emotion is visible on your face. You’re like the proverbial open book.”
“And of course you can read me that easily,” Robin said.
“I fear if I agree to that statement you will accuse me of being arrogant.”
“That would be easier than to admit how disturbing I find it that you’re able to read me like that,” Robin said.
“I believe that means my statement was correct?”
Robin sighed and nodded. “Yes, it was.”
“Do you miss the telepathic connection?”
“We never had it. I can’t miss what I never had.”
“You would like to have it,” Peter said. “You believe you’re missing out on something important.”
Robin looked down at the floor. “I guess. I’ve grown up in a family where everyone uses telepathy regularly. It seems unnatural not to have the same connection to you.”
“Another oddity? I’m beginning to feel odd.”
A laugh burst from Robin, which he smothered by pressing a hand over his mouth. Darting a quick glance in the direction of the living room, he sighed.
“I don’t believe you agitated Jayden by laughing once,” Peter said while he moved his hands from Robin’s shoulders to his face, cupping it and stroking his thumbs along Robin’s cheekbones.
“I would be furious if someone else laughed while I have to talk about my father’s funeral.” Robin’s throat tightened at the image his words created in his mind.
“Life goes on. He will have to adjust to his changed life sooner or later.”
“How—”
“No. Hear me out, please. I am aware my statement sounds harsh, but it is also the truth.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to support Jay, not to make him feel bad. Laughing doesn’t seem appropriate right now. I don’t even feel like laughing really,” Robin said as he leaned into Peter’s touch.
“I understand.”
He would. If anyone would understand about grieving it had to be Peter. Robin hoped he’d never lose or bury his compassionate side like Peter had obviously done.
Robin moved closer to Peter and aligned his body with his mate—chest to chest, belly to belly. He just needed to touch, to feel, to somehow anchor himself.
They embraced, both using considerable strength before they let go.
“I don’t want to talk about Walter,” Robin said. “See? Just saying his name chokes me up.”
“You do not wish to join your brother and Jayden now?”
Robin wrinkled his nose. “Not really.”
Peter stared at him, waiting for him to go on.
“But it wouldn’t be right to stay away from them either. I just… I don’t want to cry, you know?”
“I understand. Will it help you to know I’ll be sitting right next to you?” Peter asked.
“I hope so.”
Peter took his time pressing one firm kiss in each of Robin’s dimples before he laced their fingers together. “Shall I lead the way?”
Robin nodded.
Twenty-Six
Two days later
ROBIN CAME to slowly when the first rays of sunshine filtered through the drawn curtains, bathing him in a comfortable warmth. His whole body ached from exercising the horses the last few days. Since none had been ridden for three days, most of them had lots of energy to burn.
Now Robin felt every hour he’d been in the saddle. His muscles protested with a fierce burn when he stretched them.
A hand painted slow circles on his belly, and Peter rumbled in a sleep-addled voice, “You must feel very sore.”
“I wouldn’t feel half as sore if you or Tim would have helped,” Robin replied while he pushed closer to Peter’s solid body, relishing in Peter’s body heat.
“We explained to you that we needed to guard you. What if those wolves had come back and scared the horses? We would have lost valuable time to protect you with calming them.”
“Do you have to be so reasonable all the time? I want to bitch and you’re not playing along!”
“Oh. What would you prefer me to say?”
Grunting and grimacing, Robin rolled onto his other side until he faced Peter, then cupped his cheek with one hand, enjoying the feeling of Peter’s soft beard.
“It’s okay. I actually don’t want you to act or say anything differently. That wouldn’t be you and me.” Robin swallowed, focusing on saying the three words he knew Peter waited to hear from him. “I like you just fine.”
Peter’s eyes darkened and his jaw muscle twitched underneath Robin’s hand. Robin closed his eyes, moved his hand from Peter’s cheek to his shoulder, and pressed his forehead against Peter’s chest.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
“I hope the time will come when you feel comfortable telling me aloud how you feel about me,” Peter said.
Peter’s chest expanded as he talked, his muscles roping out and pressing against Robin’s forehead. A sudden rush of heat surged through him as he sensed the raw power underneath Peter’s skin.
With great effort, Robin kept his voice steady. “But you know already.”
“Yes. I can see it in your energy lines, so all is well.”
“No, it’s not. It makes a difference whether I say the words out loud and I know that. I also know I shouldn’t hold back. I mean… what if something happens to you? Or me. Look at Jay. He’s suffering so badly. Yesterday when we brushed down the horses, he started talking a bit. Do you know what he said? That he can’t remember when he told his father he loved him for the last time and how he wished he’d said it more often and—”
“Shh, my angel.”
“Don’t shush me! I’m pouring my heart out and you’re not allowed to shush me now. Come to think of it, don’t ever shush me, it’s… it’s….”
“I didn’t mean to show you any disrespect.” Peter trailed his fingertips up and down Robin’s back, probably to soothe him, but Robin started shaking nonetheless.
“Disrespect? No, that’s not it. It’s… well… ah crap, I don’t know what it is! Why the fuck am I shaking?”
Peter rolled on his back with Robin in his arms, clasping him tightly. “Because you�
�re nervous about the funeral today.”
“Thank you for pointing out the obvious.”
“You’re welcome.”
Robin squirmed on top of Peter, trying to find a comfortable position, but in the end he propped himself up on Peter’s chest and gazed down at him.
“You totally got that I was being an ass with my last statement, right?” Robin asked.
“Yes.”
Robin slumped down on Peter’s chest. “I don’t want to apologize again. It’s becoming a habit.”
Peter’s chuckle heaved Robin up and down, causing him to hold on tighter to Peter. When the laughter subsided, Robin said, “Now I’m motion sick and it’s all your fault.”
Peter chuckled again, and again Robin clutched him, loving the feeling of Peter’s laughter rolling in waves through his own body. The shaking lessened until it finally stopped.
“Are you still seasick?” Peter asked.
“No.”
“Good.” Peter tucked a strand of Robin’s hair behind his ear.
“I even stopped shaking. Just thought I’d tell you in case you haven’t noticed.”
“I noticed.”
“You didn’t give the impression you did. How about loosening your grip on me so I can breathe?”
The pressure around Robin’s ribcage eased instantly. Robin gulped in a huge lungful of air before saying, “I guess I should stop digging my fingers into your shoulders, too, huh?”
Peter pressed a kiss on Robin’s head. “There is no need for you to stop holding onto me if you need further reassurance. Your grip is not painful.”
“It’s not? I think I’m leaving bruises.”
“I will wear those with pride.”
Robin lifted his head from Peter’s chest to stare at him. “You really are the oddest guy I’ve ever encountered.”
“I am not sure I follow you.”
Scooting higher on Peter’s body, Robin kissed him soundly. “It doesn’t matter. We should probably get up now.”
“I concur.”
“I take it we’re going to shower together?” Robin asked.
“I will not let you out of my sight.”
“Fine.”
“Your father didn’t seem to understand my reasoning for our joined shower session,” Peter said as he rolled Robin off him.
Sitting up in bed, he turned back the cover, slid out of bed, and held out a hand to Robin, who cringed at the memory of his father showing up yesterday and learning Robin had mated.
“The last few weeks have not been easy for my father, and he’s just a tiny bit peeved I didn’t tell him and my mom about you,” Robin said.
“You were occupied. I’m sure he’ll come to understand that soon.”
Robin shook his head but took the offered hand. “I don’t think you really get this. From his five children, four are now mated. Two of them are mated to hybrids, which makes life dangerous for us.”
“I do understand, specifically the fact that you’re the youngest and evoke very strong protective feelings in your father. What I don’t understand is why he doesn’t seem to grasp that I am protecting you as well.” The crease between Peter’s eyebrows deepened as he obviously contemplated yesterday’s conversation with Ralf, Robin’s father.
Rolling his eyes, Robin circled around Peter and wrapped his arms around his waist. Grinding his crotch against Peter’s backside, he elicited a muffled groan from Peter.
“He thinks we’re taking the shower together to hump each other.”
“We never humped—”
“Peter!” Robin huffed. “He thinks we’re having sex in the shower.”
“So?”
“So? Seriously? That’s your reaction?” Robin sputtered.
“We’re mated; naturally we have sex. Your father and your mother—”
“Ah! Not going there!” Robin let go of Peter and held up his hands. Peter turned around to look at him, but all Robin could do was to shake his head. “Okay, okay, just… let’s forget about it and take the damn shower.”
Peter nodded his assent, took the laid-out clothes from atop a set of drawers next to the bed, and walked toward the bedroom door. He had his hand already on the knob when Robin shouted, “Stop! This is… we’re not… come back here so we can put pants on.”
Peter looked over his shoulder, then down at himself. “Why? The bathroom is opposite our room.”
“Because… it’s not appropriate to run around naked when my dad is in the same house.”
“Right. I forgot that you modern people have very differing views on nudity. Will it make you more comfortable to wear pants on our short way to the bathroom?”
“Yes, it will,” Robin said.
“Then I shall abide your wish.”
“Great, and one day I’ll just get used to your way of phrasing things,” Robin muttered. He held out a pair of sweatpants for Peter while he stepped into another pair.
“I believe these are a bit tight on me.” Peter fumbled with the elastic waistband of his pants while he looked down at himself with a critical expression.
The fabric clung to Peter’s frame, and his visibly outlined cock caused Robin to lick his lips. It was all he could do not to lower himself to his knees and mouth Peter’s cock through the fabric.
Robin coughed to clear his throat. “Well, at least they are not too short around the legs.”
“That’s true.”
Peter took his clothes again and Robin sighed. Grabbing his own package, he followed, hoping not to meet anyone on the floor.
LUCK WAS on his side for once, and they reached the bathroom without incident. Inside they showered and dressed. Robin stared at himself in the mirror, irritated by the scowl his reflection showed him.
“Do you require help to bind your tie? Or do you prefer to glare it into submission?” Peter asked.
Robin swiveled his head around, and for a moment, he gaped at Peter who looked at him straight-faced, obviously waiting for an answer.
“Did you… did you just crack a joke? At my expense?”
Peter reached out to grasp the black tie and wound one end around his hand. “You are a very surprising young man. For a short period of time I thought it possible for you to bind your tie with your thoughts.”
“Telekinesis?” Robin asked. “Can you do it?”
“I cannot bind a tie with my thoughts.”
“But you use telekinesis? For real?” Robin’s eyes widened.
“I don’t, no. I don’t possess this ability. Some of my clan, however, do have this power. Do you remember that you asked me how we get the supplies into our cave system?” Peter asked as he stepped closer and wrapped a strong arm around Robin’s waist.
“That’s how you do it?”
Peter nodded. “It seems to me that I’m upsetting you with this information.”
“Ah, well, it’s kinda… a bit much to take in, especially today.”
“I apologize profusely for bringing up this topic today.”
“Yeah, not your smartest move,” Robin replied.
How was he supposed to cope with everything? All the things that had happened, all the information he’d received—it was just too fast, too much.
And now? Now he had to face the world and help bury Walter Cox, a man he hadn’t known for long but whom he had grown to hold a deep affection for.
“Angel?”
Robin jerked in Peter’s arm. “What?”
“You seemed to be very far away.”
“I am, I mean, I was. Peter, I don’t want to watch when the casket gets lowered into the ground. I don’t want to attend the funeral and watch Jay fall into pieces again. I don’t want Walter to be dead,” Robin burst out.
Peter brought his hands up to Robin’s shoulders, squeezed them, and then took hold of Robin’s tie. Within seconds he’d bound the tie perfectly. In a gentle tone he said, “I know, my angel, I know.”
“Don’t be such a know-it-all all the fucking time!” Robin clenched his fists a
t his side.
Peter trailed his hands from Robin’s tie along his sides till he reached Robin’s hipbones. Robin followed Peter’s movements with his gaze, swallowing against the growing lump in his throat. He wasn’t going to cry, damn it!
He expected Peter to pull him toward him, but instead Peter stepped right into Robin’s personal space and pressed a firm kiss on his forehead. Robin shivered when Peter’s beard tickled him.
When Peter removed his left hand, Robin bit down hard on his lower lip to stop himself from whimpering about the loss of warmth and anchoring strength on his hip. The next thing he knew, Peter pushed something small into his pants pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m helping you to be prepared,” Peter replied.
“For what? What did you just put into my pocket?”
“Tissues.”
Robin’s head snapped up. “Tissues?” he echoed.
“It would be most unfortunate for you to be crying and not have tissues, wouldn’t it?”
“Right,” Robin said, “of course you assume I’m going to cry.”
Peter let out a deep sigh, then gazed up at the ceiling. Robin did the same but couldn’t find anything interesting there. He opened his mouth to ask Peter what he was looking at, but Peter beat him to it. “You are grieving the loss of a friend. Crying is a natural reaction.”
“Oh.”
Peter clasped Robin’s neck, then said, “I will hold your hand during the ceremony.”
“You will….” Robin trailed off as he squinted at Peter, whose gaze remained fixed on him. “Right. Why?”
“I expect you to cry because you’re saying farewell to a friend. You’re too compassionate not to show your emotions openly, and I want to lend you as much comfort as possible. Holding your hand is probably going to be the only thing I can do,” Peter replied before he brought their lips together.
After the kiss Robin rested his head on Peter’s shoulder, deeply inhaling his unique scent. They stayed locked together in a breath-crushing embrace for a long time until Peter patted the seat of Robin’s suit pants. “We should go. I believe everyone else is ready.”
Secret Energy (Shifters Book 2) Page 19
