by Abby Blake
Dyson opened his eyes, glared at Angus, but didn’t deny it.
After a moment of complete stillness, he breathed out heavily and finally started to move inside her. With exquisite care, he slid into her pussy, watching her eyes as he pulled away and then slid in again. Soon his gentle loving wasn’t enough. She needed more, she needed harder, she needed faster, deeper, stronger.
Again her men read her correctly. Angus squeezed her nipples, scraping his nails over the hard peaks, the soft sting incredibly arousing. Dyson began to speed up, moving more forcefully, holding her down, slamming into her pussy. She jolted when Dyson slid his hand to her clit, his finger and thumb squeezing the swollen nub to the point of pain.
She gasped, unable to believe the incredible sensations. Her body was on fire, her nerve endings snapping and buzzing as her arousal climbed even higher. Dyson groaned, thrusting harder, taking her, making her theirs, ruining her for any other lover.
The pressure inside her grew, couldn’t be contained. Orgasm exploded through her, taking her by surprise, her pussy and ass both throbbing as Dyson slammed into her again and again and again. Angus watched her, his smile widening as he did something with his fingers that sent heated lightning streaking through her once more.
“Fuck,” Dyson mumbled as he lost control, dug his fingers into her hips, and fucked her like a wild man. He grunted, stilling inside her as his cock throbbed. He held himself over her, supporting his weight on his hands as he stared into her eyes.
Neither man said a word, but both kissed her reverently before Dyson moved away and Angus lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bathroom, stepped into the shower, and slowly lowered her to her feet. Her knees wobbled so badly that she was very grateful for the hard arm wrapped around her waist. Angus washed her down quickly, and then handed her to Dyson, who managed to dry her off and tuck her under the covers. He stayed with her, holding her close until Angus came out of the bathroom, before heading into the shower himself.
She managed to stay awake only long enough to know that Dyson returned from his shower and slid under the covers to hold her close.
* * * *
Angus slid out of the bed as soon as Dyson had Kristen in his arms. They hadn’t had any trouble with assassins since they’d gone off the grid, but it wouldn’t be very good for all three of them to be naked if they needed to make a fast escape. He dragged on his clothes as he watched Dyson watch the woman in his arms.
It was true that he didn’t know his mission partner as well as he would have liked, but they’d worked together enough for him to know that the attraction Dyson was feeling for the pretty human was unusual. Just like Thomas and Alex, Dyson had been known as a bit of a “ladies’ man.” It was well known that he dated humans when they weren’t on assignment, but Angus was fairly certain that Kristen was the first human woman Dyson had felt an emotional attachment to. The others had been a diversion, a way to pass the downtime and relax, but Angus was willing to bet a whole lot of money on his guess that none of them had affected Dyson the way Kristen had.
“She’s special, isn’t she?” Angus asked quietly enough not to wake the woman.
“She’s an Oracle’s receptacle. Of course she’s special,” Dyson said in a rough voice.
Angus smirked. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Dyson rolled his eyes and fell back on his own patented brand of sarcasm. “Don’t go decorating the church just yet, asshole. We barely know the woman.” He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head belligerently. “And besides, waking up in bed with you is not something I’m sure I can live with. Not even for a short human lifetime.”
As soon as the words left Dyson’s mouth, it was obvious he regretted them. It was true that demons outlived humans by hundreds of years. Hell, both of them were already decades older than the oldest living human, yet they’d barely reached one quarter of the average life expectancy for demons. Even if Kristen lived into her nineties, their time together would be brief by comparison.
It was a surprisingly depressing thought. It wasn’t like him to make life-changing plans after sleeping with a woman once, but that seemed to be exactly what he was doing.
“This is supposed to be my last assignment,” Angus said. Only Ronan knew of his resignation, but somehow he felt he owed it to Dyson to let him know where his own life was headed. Dyson simply raised his eyebrow and waited for an explanation. Angus shrugged. “Not much to tell really. I’ve grown tired of living out of a suitcase. I spent seventy years with PUP Squad Echo and the last ten with Deeks Security. I just felt like I needed a change.”
“So the fact that you survived an explosion that killed three of your coworkers didn’t factor into it?”
Angus grimaced. He supposed he should have been ready for that. It wasn’t like the death of three security agents would go unnoticed by the men who worked in the same industry.
“Maybe a little,” he said, trying to verbalize the thoughts that swirled in his head. “Intellectually, I know it wasn’t my fault. They were taken by surprise, at least one of them didn’t follow protocol, but there’s still a part of me that feels guilty for surviving.”
“But you protected your client.”
“Yeah,” Angus said, trying not to grind his teeth. Instead of being grateful for Angus’s quick thinking, the client had bleated long and loud about how his team’s unprofessionalism had almost gotten him killed. He hadn’t even batted an eyelid when he’d been told the other three agents had died. In some ways, the lion-shifter had been typical of the clients Angus had been assigned to protect over the years—an endless line of selfish, self-centered people who thought nothing of others risking their lives to protect them.
The only thing that had convinced him to take on this one last assignment had been Ava. His boss’s new wife was sweet and caring, intelligent and loving, and owned an emotional strength that defied description. It seemed almost too good to be true that Kristen had turned out to be a similar type of personality. Granted, Kristen was a lot more shy than Ava, but she also had that core strength running through her—even if she didn’t fully see it herself.
“So what were your plans for retirement?”
Angus noticed Dyson’s use of the past tense. He was correct in his assumption that Kristen had changed Angus’s plans.
“I was going to head home. My family owns several businesses in Alaska, and it would finally make my mother happy to have me ‘settle down’ and maybe find her a daughter-in-law.”
“How’s she going to react to Kristen?”
Angus laughed softly. It was quite a conversational leap, especially considering Dyson’s words just moments ago. But it was true. They’d only just met Kristen. Hell, they had only slept with her once, but there was no denying that they both wanted to explore the relationship more fully.
“I don’t know. My mother is open-minded enough to accept whomever I chose for a mate, but she’d be very disappointed if I didn’t give her grandchildren.”
“Same with my mother,” Dyson said on a quiet laugh. “Do you think the Oracle’s receptacles are all the same in that way? Ava is pregnant by Brody, and Kali has assured Alex that it’s possible for her to have his children. It would make things a lot easier if Kristen has the same trait.”
Angus nodded. He wasn’t really certain where this conversation was headed. In fact, it was starting to feel a bit weird discussing babies with his lover’s lover when they’d barely discussed anything with Kristen. It was probably costing them some serious macho points, too. They should be discussing tactics or weapons or defensive strategies, not rainbows and unicorns. Fuck.
“Let’s just get this assignment finished. We can make decisions after that.”
Dyson grinned like he knew exactly why Angus was shutting down the conversation, but he just nodded once and then closed his eyes. Within moments, Dyson was sound asleep, which left Angus alone with his own thoughts.
It was going to be a long night.
<
br /> Chapter Five
Kristen smiled sleepily as Dyson held her close and led her into the main space of the holiday apartment. She’d never felt quite so relaxed in her life. Hell, if she’d realized the therapeutic effects of orgasm, she might have done a bit of self-exploring a long time ago. She almost couldn’t wait long enough to make breakfast before wanting to explore more of what they’d shared last night.
She tried to smile as they walked past Thomas, but it took a few more moments to realize something wasn’t quite right with the man.
“Kristen?” he asked, looking a lot less calm than he usually did, “do you know who the traitor is?”
“The what?”
Traitor? Nobody had said anything about a traitor. How the hell had she gotten involved in this? Her life was a series of boring nonevents. It seemed nearly impossible that she would be dragged into a paranormal world, hunted by assassins, protected by werewolves, and physically loved by demons. Yet, somehow, here she was. She grinned at the fire demon beside her, but his focus was on Thomas, and he looked angry enough to throw a few punches.
“I’m sorry,” Thomas said to her quickly, seeming to ignore the man beside her. “It’s just that the other women the squad is protecting, the ones who share your birthday, all seem to have a skill they describe as ‘knowing’ stuff they have no memory of learning.”
Kristen shook her head, but pursed her lips a moment in thought. None of that made sense. They’d told her the other women they were protecting shared her birthday—day, month, and year—but that they were all human. “How would they know stuff they haven’t been taught?”
“We’re not sure,” Dyson said, sending a glare in Thomas’s direction that suggested he was very close to flattening the man, “but we suspect it’s something the Oracle passed on before she died. It’s not important now. Thomas shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Kristen gave Thomas a hard stare before turning her attention to Dyson. “Thomas wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t important. Do all of the others have this skill?”
It was obvious that Dyson didn’t want to answer that question, but after a moment, when she feared he would lie to her, he finally nodded.
“Do they have any other skills?” Kristen asked, her gaze bouncing between the two men. A niggling fear was growing at the back of her brain. Despite the danger, the fact that something exciting was finally happening in her life was now being overshadowed by the worry that she wasn’t the woman they’d been looking for. If all the others had skills, then what did that mean for her?
“Yes,” Thomas eventually replied. He eyed Dyson warily as he elaborated. “Kali and Ava are telekinetic. I believe Hannah was, too.”
“Hannah was?” Kristen asked quickly, too quickly, judging by the anger now coming off Dyson in waves. Fear streaked through her like a lightning bolt. She mustn’t have done a very good job of hiding it, or maybe Dyson knew her better than she realized, because this time he really did lose his temper. He punched Thomas in the nose. Strangely, it seemed that Thomas saw the hit coming but didn’t bother to get out of the way. The fight that followed was fast, vicious, and brutal. Never, in a million years, would Kristen want to come up against men as dangerous as these ones. If these were the men sent to protect her, then the assassins after her must be even more dangerous. How much of the situation were they holding back from her?
“Enough already,” Angus said as he broke them apart. “You’re scaring Kristen.” He turned to her, and she tried to convey that she was more concerned than scared. Yes, frightened that she wasn’t the woman they thought she was, but not intimidated by men she believed would never hurt her, no matter how much damage they were inflicting on each other. Before she could say anything to calm the situation, Angus reached over and hauled her into his embrace. “Sorry, sweetheart, it’s been a long few weeks. Obviously, these knuckleheads need a break.” He turned his attention to Thomas. “Or they need to cool down.”
Thomas nodded, slowly raising his hands in a show of surrender. His eye was already swelling, but from the little they’d told her about werewolves he would heal quickly.
“We’ve got this,” Dyson said in a clear indication that he wanted Thomas to leave. As Kristen understood it, Thomas was the lead agent on this assignment. She had no idea why he backed down, but Adam simply nodded in agreement to Dyson’s demand and indicated for Thomas to follow him out the door. A moment later, she was pressed between her men.
“Are you okay, baby?” Angus asked, touching her face in a way that had quickly become achingly familiar. She closed her eyes against the tears that threatened.
“What happened to Hannah?”
“She was murdered the same day pixie assassins came after you. Her protectors failed, but it was because of the traitor. We still don’t know who the traitor is, but you’re completely safe with us. Nobody knows where we are. Not even our boss.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I promise you, baby, we’ll keep you safe.”
“I know,” she said, truly believing it. She had no doubt in her mind that all four men protecting her would lay down their lives to keep her safe. But she was beginning to suspect that they were protecting the wrong woman.
“You said there were nine of these Oracle’s receptacles, is that right?”
“As far as we know,” Angus said, looking confused by her question.
“Is it possible I’m not one of them?”
“No, it isn’t possible,” Dyson said quickly. “Of the three women who were murdered before Hannah, one was born before you and two after. You are definitely in the middle of the group.”
“But if all the women possess skills that I don’t, how can I be one of them?”
Kristen pulled out of their arms, wanting to see their faces. She had the distinct impression that her words were affecting them far more than their verbal responses suggested.
“Sweetheart,” Dyson said as he grabbed her hand and led her to the sofa, “we don’t know anything for certain. Our squadmates found Amber the same day we found you, but we know nothing about her. It’s possible that she isn’t showing any skills, either.”
“It’s also possible that she is.” Kristen rubbed at the ache starting to grip her heart. All her life she’d been the odd one out, the person nobody noticed, but when Angus and Dyson had explained what was going on, as weird as it sounded, it had felt good to be a part of something—even if it was deadly. For the first time in her life, she’d actually had a feeling of belonging. Even without meeting the other women she’d felt part of a group, a someone, not just the invisible person using the desk at the back of the room.
“I think I might go lie back down for a while,” she said, trying to ease away from the sofa. Both men rose to go with her, but she held her hand up in a signal for them to stop. “I…um…you don’t have to come. I’d actually prefer to be alone if that’s okay with you.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, that’s not okay with us,” Dyson said, searching her face before glancing at Angus. “We still need to be close in case we’re attacked.”
She didn’t really want to argue with them, but the idea of falling asleep in their arms like she’d done so many nights recently now just seemed so wrong. They’d held her and protected her when they thought she was one of the Oracle’s receptacles, but it was becoming pretty obvious that hers was simply a case of mistaken identity.
She felt like a fraud.
“I…um…”
“No arguments, baby. No matter what the future holds, right here, right now, we are in charge of protecting you. If you’re not in the mood to have sex this morning, that’s not a problem, but we will do our jobs regardless.” She could barely look at Angus without her eyes filling with tears, but she somehow managed to hold them back and nod her capitulation.
As dishonest as it made her feel, she’d soak up every moment of their attention while she had it, because when the truth was revealed and she was found to be no one special it would take all of her m
emories to get her through the rest of her life.
* * * *
Dyson lay on the bed, his arms curled around Kristen, her back pressed to his front. For the past three nights she’d had been the most energetic lover he’d ever known. Even between the two of them, he and Angus were struggling to keep up. It was rather surprising considering the way she’d tried to push them aside after the fight with Thomas a few days ago.
Angus was flat on his back, staring at the ceiling as if he was too exhausted to move. Considering that Dyson felt the same way, it wasn’t really surprising.
Unfortunately, it was also Dyson’s turn to contact head office. He didn’t want to get out of bed, but just like other situations in his last fifty years working with PUP Squad Alpha, he didn’t have to like it, he just had to do it.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said as he nuzzled the back of Kristen’s neck, “but duty calls.”
Angus reached over, snagged Kristen from Dyson’s grasp, and cuddled her close. Reluctantly, Dyson rolled off the bed and onto his feet. He dragged his clothes on quickly, nodded at the huge wolf sitting by the entry, and then headed outside to the nearest pay phone.
“Hello,” Benjamin said casually as he answered the phone. There was no indication that Dyson had just rung the commanding officer of PUP Squad Alpha.
“It’s Dyson,” he said quickly, fully expecting the usual “no change in the situation” response they’d been getting for the past three weeks. But Benjamin’s hesitation brought him to full alert.
“I need you to come in. I’ll meet you at the border.” Dyson knew exactly where Benjamin was asking to meet him. He just had no idea why. And he sure as hell wasn’t comfortable with it.
“Why?” he asked, not really wanting to defy a direct order but unwilling to put Kristen at any sort of risk.
