Evans, Gabrielle - Upon Crimson Waters [Fatefully Yours 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove)

by Gabrielle Evans

  Vapre reached out casually and placed his hand over Echo’s mouth, instantly silencing his endless stream of questions. “We’re leaving because you’re in danger. The others are fine. We’re going to Canada because it’s as good as anywhere else. Now, I’m going to move my hand and I want you to be quiet. Got it?”

  Echo glared, but nodded his understanding. Vapre removed his hand slowly, watching Echo the entire time. Eyce tensed, waiting for the outburst, and prepared to grab Echo if he decided a little physical retaliation was in order.

  To his surprise, Echo didn’t say a word. He just turned around and stared walking back toward home. “Where are you going?”

  “Home!”

  “Didn’t you hear anything we just said?” Eyce growled in frustration and jogged to catch up with his mate. “It’s not safe, Echo. You can’t just go waltzing back into that house. They could be waiting for us.”

  “Then I suggest you come up with a better plan.” Echo turned and jabbed his finger in Eyce’s belly. “Because I’m not walking all the way to fucking Canada.”

  * * * *

  “I would just like to let everyone know that this seriously sucks.” Myst spoke hoarsely as he knelt beside the lake, dipping his hands in the water and gathering enough to scrub away the blood on his neck. “How the hell are we even supposed to get in?”

  Fiero shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the mountain range in the distance. “We’re going to have to go on foot from here.”

  “Is Gage up yet?”

  “Hex is working on him.” Fiero tore his gaze away from the mountains and glanced over his shoulder. “He should be up and around soon.”

  “I don’t like this,” Onyx said quietly. “They knew we were coming.” He looked over to the SUV. “Are we sure we can trust this guy?”

  “I don’t know.” Fiero growled in frustration. Why the hell were they out here risking their necks for a total stranger? Besides protecting their mate from the threat that the lab posed, they had no business here. “We should be home, taking care of Echo and helping Eyce. This isn’t our fight.”

  “Agreed.” Myst splashed water over his face once more and stood with a groan. “I’m sorry that the guy might lose his mates. That sucks.” Myst shook his head. “If they’re packing up and moving out, I say good riddance. We deal with this Collector asshole, and then we’re in the clear.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.” Fiero pictured Echo’s pale face, his trembling lips. His mate had looked scared out of his mind. “So, what do we do? We’ve come this far.”

  “Yeah, and getting shot at was the easy part. Do you think they’re just going to let us waltz in that place?” Myst snorted in derision. “This is bullshit.”

  “Then why do I feel like I need to rescue these guys?” Onyx asked.

  Yeah, Fiero felt it, too. As much as he’d love to say fuck the whole thing and bail, he couldn’t. He felt the draw, the pull, the call toward the mountains. Something waited for them there. He just didn’t know what it was.

  “Gage is important, huh?” Myst said grudgingly. “And whoever his little mates are, they’re going to be important as well. Fuck! We don’t have time to be scrambling around picking up strays.”

  “Strays,” Fiero said slowly. But that wasn’t what they were doing. They were recruiting. It suddenly seemed so clear, he didn’t know why he hadn’t realized it before. How many more would find them before the war landed on their doorstep?

  “I don’t like that look.” Onyx cocked his head to the side and smirked. “What are you thinking, Fiero?”

  “We’re not picking up strays.”

  “Well, what the hell would you call it?” Myst demanded.

  “We’re building an army.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I don’t think we should leave.” Echo paced the living room while his lovers raced around, packing supplies and preparing for their journey over the Canadian border. “I don’t even have a damn passport. Hell, I didn’t even have a goddamn name until a few weeks ago.”

  “There are ways around it,” Syx said distractedly as he rushed by with two suitcases in his hands. “We’ll handle it.”

  “But what about the lake? We can’t just leave that.”

  “We’ll take care of it,” Vapre said offhandedly as he jogged into the room with another suitcase.

  “What about the others? We’re just going to leave them? What if there’s trouble?”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Eyce threw a jacket at Echo. “Put that on.”

  “You all just told me the same thing in varying ways. This is crap!” Echo stamped his foot like a child and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know they’re just going to follow us, right? Do you really want to face The Collector on foreign ground?” Uncrossing his arms he walked over to Eyce and placed a hand on his elbow. “You can protect me better if we stay. Home field advantage, big guy.”

  This finally gave them all pause. Eyce, Syx, and Vapre stopped what they were doing and looked at each other before their eyes fell on Echo in surprise. “Your shock is unflattering,” he grumbled. “It just makes sense.”

  “It does.” Vapre sounded so dumbfounded, Echo wanted to smack him.

  “Look, I don’t know why you’re so amazed. I may not know battle tactics or whatever, but it just seems like common sense that you’d want to face your enemy on your own turf. I guess neutral ground would be the second best option, but just barely.” The answer seemed so obvious, Echo had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

  Eyce nodded once, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. “Okay. We’ll stay, but we do things my way. From now on, consider yourself under house arrest.”

  Echo did roll his eyes then. “Like I ever go anywhere,” he mumbled.

  “I mean it, Echo. You’re not to leave the house for any reason without one of us with you. I don’t even think you should wander around inside by yourself.” Eyce’s fingers skimmed along Echo’s cheek. “You can call it overprotective or whatever, but your safety is the only thing I care about right now.”

  Though not exactly thrilled about the idea of them shadowing his every step, Echo smiled his understanding. They were only trying to protect him. The least he could do was make their jobs easier. “I promise. I won’t even go tinkle unless you’re there to shake it for me.”

  “Mouthy little shit,” Syx said from behind him. “It’s a long shot that someone will make it into the house undetected, but it’s best to be prepared for the worst.”

  Looking over his shoulder, Echo graced Syx with his smile. “Relax. I get it. I’m not going to argue.”

  “That’ll be a first.”

  Echo stuck his tongue out at Vapre, earning him a bright smile and a small chuckle. “I want to know what happened to the others.” Echo returned his eyes to Eyce. “I know something happened, and I’m guessing one or more of them are hurt. Judging by the fact that you wanted to whisk me off to Canada, I’ll bet it also involves the lab.”

  Eyce opened his mouth to speak, but Echo cut him off. “I don’t need all the gory details. I just want to know if everyone is okay and where they are now.”

  “Myst and Gage were hurt, but they’re okay now.” Echo appreciated Eyce giving it to him straight. “They were headed toward Heavens Peak when I talked to Fiero. That’s really all I know.”

  “Thank you.” Echo spoke calmly, but inside he felt the panic bubbling in his chest. “I’m kind of tired after the hike to the lake and back. I’m going to take a nap.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Eyce said immediately.

  Echo started to argue. He really just wanted to be alone with his thoughts for a while, but he remembered his promise of just moments before. So, he sighed and dipped his head, holding out a hand for his lover to take. “Fine, but if you snore, I’m kicking your ass to the floor.”

  “I don’t snore,” Eyce said indignantly. Then he wrinkled his nose and lifted his eyebrows. “Do I?”


  “Like a freakin’ buzz saw,” Syx said without missing a beat. “I honestly don’t know how anyone in the house can sleep through it.”

  “Oh, shut up and go make sure everything is locked up tight. Stick together and wake me if you spot anything suspicious. If a freaking squirrel wanders within fifty feet of the house, I want to know about it.”

  The mood in the room took a drastic turn from light and playful, to somber and businesslike. “We’re on it.” Echo half-expected Vapre to snap to attention and salute Eyce. He didn’t though, which was kind of disappointing.

  “So, are you in charge here since Hex is gone?” Echo asked his lover as they climbed the staircase.

  “Yeah. It’s a shit job sometimes, especially with this lot. They all like to pretend that I’m just blowing smoke up their asses. They listen when it’s important, so I guess I can’t ask for more than that.”

  “You don’t like being in charge.” It wasn’t a question. He could tell from Eyce’s tone and the tense set of his shoulders that the man hoped Hex returned soon to take over the job.

  “No, I really don’t. I’d rather leave that to Hex. Tell me what to do and when to do it, and I’m all over that shit. It leaves little room for mistakes.”

  “You big sub, you,” Echo said around a chuckle.

  Eyce snorted and shook his head. “Not hardly, but mistakes get people killed. I don’t want that kind of responsibility.”

  Biting his lip, Echo remained silent, mulling over his lover’s words as another piece of the puzzle that was Eyce fell into place.

  * * * *

  “Do we risk calling them? You know Echo has to be going out of his mind.” Fiero spoke quietly to Hex as they pushed through the trees. “It’s been almost two days since we left.”

  “You know we can’t risk it.” Hex shook his head then glanced over his shoulder at the men following behind them. “I don’t know if they’d be able to track the GPS signal or not, but I’m not discounting anything. You saw the size of that place.”

  Fiero grunted his agreement, but he didn’t have to like it. While part of him just wanted to let his lovers know they were safe and making their way home, another part of him longed to hear Echo’s voice. Even if he could talk to the little man for just a moment, he’d feel better about this entire fucked up situation.

  “I miss them, too,” Hex whispered. “I don’t like to make them worry, but we should be home by tomorrow afternoon. Eyce will keep everyone calm until we get there.”

  “Do you think they left?” What if they’d done as Fiero had ordered, taken Echo, and fled? He wanted them to be safe, but he also wanted them to be waiting at home when he arrived.

  “I think Eyce will do whatever he thinks is best.”

  Fiero looked back when he heard a soft grunt. One of Gage’s mates was kneeling on the ground, his face flushed and his eyelids drooping as he panted for breath. “We’re going to have to stop soon. We can’t keep pushing them like this.”

  “Do you think we did the right thing?” Myst stepped up beside them as they paused to wait for Gage to attend to his mates. “Maybe we should have tried to rescue all of them.”

  “There’s no way we could have pulled it off without getting someone killed.” Fiero chuckled and shook his head. “And I’m pretty sure that would get our little mate’s nose all bent out of shape.”

  Onyx laughed along with him. “If these two are half the trouble Echo is, Gage is going to have his hands full. I mean, there are seven of us, and we can barely keep up with one of Echo.”

  “Make no mistake of who’s in charge,” Hex mumbled.

  “Echo,” they all answered together then burst into quiet laughter.

  “How much farther until we make camp for the night?” Gage asked as he trotted over to them. “I’m sorry, I know they’re slowing us down, but Mac says they haven’t eaten in two days.”

  Fiero’s chest constricted, and he rubbed a hand over his heart. Just a few short weeks ago that had been Echo. How the man made it all that way, cold, naked, and hungry was beyond him.

  “Don’t apologize,” Hex told the guard as he clapped him on the shoulder. “We understand. There’s a stream a few miles west of here. We’ll stop there.”

  “Thank you,” Gage mumbled. “I can carry one of them, but even though they’re small, I doubt I can make it that far with both.”

  “I’ll carry one.” Fiero didn’t exactly want the burden of more weight, but the quicker they moved, the faster they would make it home. Besides, the little guys looked dead on their feet, and he’d never ask so much from his own mate.

  “Thank you,” Gage repeated quietly.

  “No worries.” Myst smiled and bumped the man with his shoulder. “We blew up a helicopter for you. That makes us practically family.”

  Onyx snorted and reached out to cuff Myst in the back of the head. “You are such an idiot.”

  “Whatever, man.” Myst rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. “He’d do the same for our mate.”

  “I would.” Gage bobbed his head in agreement. “I don’t know Echo that well, but I did my best to keep all the residents safe. He’s a good kid. I hated the way the other guards treated him.”

  “Did any of them ever…” Fiero trailed off, unable to ask the question he desperately needed the answer to.

  “Not on my watch.” Gage growled vehemently. “Some of them tried with Sony once. They’ll be sipping their meals through straws for the next six months.” Raking a hand through his hair, he huffed in frustration. “I can’t say for when I was off duty, but he never mentioned anything more than they had tied him up because they thought if they touched him they could gain some of his powers.”

  Fiero sighed in relief, but the demon in him still wanted to find these men and rip them to shreds. “That’s what Echo told us as well.”

  “Okay, well, I want to get home to a hot meal, a hotter shower, and some good welcome-home lovin’ from my men.” Myst rubbed his hands together greedily then pointed toward the west. “Move out!”

  * * * *

  The third morning after Fiero’s phone call found Eyce pacing the kitchen, mumbling angrily to himself. He hadn’t heard a word from his lovers since. He didn’t know where they were, what they were doing, if they’d been captured, or if they were even still alive.

  No one had come looking for them or Echo. Eyce figured he should be grateful for the fact, but it only served to gnaw at his already frayed nerves. He couldn’t help but feel like they were playing a game, and for some reason, he had the distinct impression they were losing.

  To add to his already heavy burden, he still didn’t have a damn clue what to do about the lakes and ponds. Things were only getting worse, too. New reports cropped up left and right about the numerous small lakes and ponds in and around Eureka. They’d sent everyone from scientists to waste management. Several different tests had been conducted, and still, no one could pinpoint a cause.

  The entire city was in an uproar, people panicking about the safety of their drinking water. Eyce didn’t blame them. He just wished he knew how to help.

  Every night, he’d snuck out after Echo had fallen asleep and made his way through the woods to the little pond just west of their house. He’d sit in the grass near the edge of the pond and stare into the foul water, wracking his brain for some way to fix this.

  He’d even been desperate enough to beg for the Oracle’s help. Of course, she only ignored him, leaving him to sit alone and angry in the moonlight night after night.

  “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you don’t stop that.” Echo yawned as he plodded into the kitchen in nothing but a pair of low-slung jeans.

  The gods bless him, Echo had held up remarkably well under the strain. Warmth seeped into his heart, spreading out to his limbs and thawing the cold his thoughts had left him with. “Morning, baby.”

  “Mmm, if you say so.” Echo rubbed against Eyce, nuzzling his face over his chest. “Have you heard an
ything?”

  Squeezing his eyes shut, Eyce held Echo close and rested his chin on the top of the man’s head. “No,” he whispered. He felt Echo tremble in his arms, and hated that he couldn’t give his mate better news.

  “And we can’t call because we might give away their location, right?”

  “If they’re in trouble, someone will have taken their phones. If they’re hiding out, they’ll have them turned off. Either way, we won’t be able to get in touch with them.”

  “How much longer do we wait before we go look for them?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s just play it by ear, okay?” As much as Eyce wanted to go storming the castle and rescue his men, there were several factors he had to take into consideration first. He knew he didn’t have a prayer of fighting their enemy alone. Taking Syx and Vapre with him meant leaving Echo unprotected—definitely not an option. That only left bringing Echo with them, right into the heart of the danger—again, not an option.

  “I’m sorry,” Echo breathed. “I shouldn’t have asked them to go.”

  “Hush. They knew what they were walking into when they agreed.” Pushing Echo away gently, Eyce smiled and winked at him. “We’re demons, baby. Those four men are the toughest sons of bitches I know. It’s going to take a lot more than some humans with a power trip to bring them down.”

  “If you really believed that, you wouldn’t be sneaking out at night and pacing the kitchen in the mornings.” Echo looked up at him with concern. “You look horrible. When’s the last time you slept or ate anything?”

  “I’m fine.” Eyce tried for reassuring, but he didn’t think he quite nailed it when Echo just continued to stare at him with one eyebrow cocked. “I’ll take a nap in a little bit, okay?”

  “You’re no good to yourself or anyone else if you can’t even stand. Go to bed now. Vapre and Syx should be up soon. I think I can manage the next hour unsupervised.”

  “No.” Eyce’s tone brooked no argument. “Either wake them now, or come to bed with me. Otherwise, I’m staying right here.”