He set it aside and walked over to the back door of the garage and stepped out. The grounds were amazing, green and manicured, not anything like he’d expected for this mountain retreat as Hunter had called it. This place was exceptional, and it spoke to money and status. Lyle looked down at his hands, all rough and calloused, and wondered what his place was here.
The wind picked up and suddenly the late afternoon scents of the forest surrounded him, and he wished he could strip down to his boxers and take a run. He used to do it a lot as a child, but as he got older, Morris kept him too busy and too exhausted to take many runs. Sometimes Hunter would join him and those were the best times.
Duncan said they'd take a walk later this evening and he was looking forward to it. This mountain was huge, and Hunter had told him the club owned it all except for a small twenty-acre parcel on the opposite side. There was a lot to explore, but he would only be here a short time. The projects could be finished in a couple weeks and then with money in his pocket he'd head off to Denver.
The thought of leaving left him with a heavy heart even though he’d only been at the Gatehouse a day he had fallen in love with the place. The new occupant wasn’t hard on the eyes either, but Lyle was a realist and he knew the sudden infatuation on both sides was more lust than love.
His new feelings were messing with his head a little bit but not enough to make him walk away. His mind and body were reacting to Duncan Adair and the feelings appeared to be mutual. It was going to be interesting, but he hoped he didn’t look the fool when it was all over. He knew there would be an end to this because men like Duncan Adair did not do long term with men like Lyle Davis.
Dinner was on the deck, steaks on the grill with corn and baked potatoes, Lyle’s favorite. He wasn’t sure if Duncan knew that or if it was just his own good luck. Grey sat with them for a while and enjoyed the meal before heading back out with the excuse he needed to walk off the delicious meal.
Grey was pleasant, but he kept his distance from Lyle and Lyle wasn't sure why. Duncan was touching him at every opportunity and made a point to sit beside him on the deck. It was an odd dynamic that was playing out between the two men. It seemed as if something were going on beneath the surface that Lyle was not privy to and that was irritating if you thought about it too long. Lyle definitely felt like an outsider even though Duncan went out of his way to give him attention.
Stop thinking so damn hard, he told himself. Finish the job, enjoy whatever benefits happen to come his way while he’s there and then be ready to move on. That was his plan and he needed to stick to it and quit getting all possessive about this guy. There was no future here only a temporary delicious distraction.
He helped Duncan clean up before they headed off on their walk. It started out casual just small talk even though Lyle could not get that hot as hell kiss they shared earlier out of his thoughts for one second. After about twenty minutes Duncan began to ask more probing questions as he had before.
“I know the situation you and Hunter were in with your father.” He started off causing Lyle to cringe slightly. He did not want to discuss his father, that chapter of his life was over. He did not say anything and waited for Duncan to continue, which he did.
“Let me ask you this, if he reached out to you would you wish to repair the relationship?”
Lyle barked a laugh and then stopped and turned to look at Duncan who was right beside him. He glanced down at Lyle with those green eyes that simultaneously waited and demanded.
"There never was a relationship there. Hunter and I were just free labor and nothing more. We called him Morris behind his back and Mr. Davis to his face, he was never a father in the true sense of the word. I have no desire to ever see him again and if I ever do, I will not acknowledge him." Lyle turned away from Duncan and looked towards the dense trees that surrounded them as he considered his next words.
"The last time I saw my father he was beating the hell out of me and when he finished, I packed and left." Lyle turned back to Duncan feeling a rise in tension. Duncan looked furious, but Lyle didn't have a clue as to why.
…
Duncan wanted to search out Morris Davis and beat the hell out of him and see if he liked receiving as much as he apparently liked dishing it out. He tamped down his anger when he saw the look on Lyle’s face. He didn’t understand that his anger was for him and not directed at him. He placed a possessive hand on Lyle’s shoulder and leaned down as he spoke capturing his undivided attention.
"No one will ever lay a hand on you again. If they do, I will gladly kill them." His voice was deep and powerful, and he meant every word. Lyle looked like he was trying to figure out if the statement was true or just words, but ultimately, he just smiled and looked away.
"I don't think he needs to die, but I wouldn't mind someone kicking his lazy fucking ass for him. The guy hasn't done an honest day's work in his life." Lyle laughed and ran his fingers through his hair pushing it back from his face. Duncan thought he looked radiant and couldn't take his eyes off him.
"He'll never bother you again," Duncan stated as he stepped up closer to Lyle. The walk was good for them and the fresh air and nature was helping Lyle to open up about himself. Duncan had read some of it in the information Calum had given him, but the beating had not been mentioned. The cavalier way that Lyle spoke of it showed that he had been beaten often over his life and that was not alright. Morris Davis would be held accountable.
They walked along in silence, just enjoying each other's company. Neither felt the need to fill the silence. That peace came crashing down when Lyle felt the earth give way beneath his feet. Duncan reached out to take Lyle's hand just as he lost his footing as they traversed the side of a deep incline. Duncan tried to grab him, but Lyle flailed his hands trying to right himself before going head first down the side of a near twenty-foot drop.
Duncan moved fast and caught Lyle before he hit the bottom, but unfortunately, he'd bumped along the rocky ground on the way down. He had a deep cut on his hand and probably an array of cuts and bruises to his body.
Holding him carefully in his arms, Duncan climbed back up the embankment and ran back towards the Gatehouse. They were a good mile and a half, maybe two miles away but that was nothing for a dragon to cover in seconds especially when their mate was in distress.
…
Lyle wasn't sure what was happening, but somehow Duncan who was beside him managed to get in front of him before he hit the bottom. He picked him up with absolutely no effort and raced him back up the side of the gully and was now running, full tilt back towards the house.
Lyle wasn’t a big man, but he was far from tiny, yet Duncan was having no difficulty running crazy fast while carrying him. How was this possible? Lyle was so thunderstruck by the whole thing that the gash on his palm was barely hurting. The speed Duncan was moving was not humanly possible. Within seconds he was bounding up the steps and through the house to the second floor and not even breathing hard or breaking a sweat.
The room he took him to, was the one across the hall from his and Lyle assumed it was Duncan's bedroom although there were few things in the space to indicate such. It contained just the bed, nightstand, and wardrobe but there was a heavy looking wooden trunk by the window. It wasn't like the ones he saw Grey carrying in. This one was old but stately and had a ceremonial aspect to it. Lyle remembered his Uncle Clarence, from the time he resided with his mother on Tribal lands, had a trunk like that and it contained his ceremonial regalia.
Duncan did not speak as he laid him on the bed and rushed to the bathroom and came back with a basin of water and a washcloth. Lyle lay there and watched the man work freshly amazed at the care and concern he extended to a mere laborer. There was an attraction there sure, but that didn't mean he had to take care of him like this.
"Your hand, does it hurt?" Duncan glanced up from where he had just cleaned the wound and looked into Lyle's eyes. He felt as if something was happening, the power of the gaze and the energy emanat
ing from the touch were sending a tingling through his hand and up his arm. Duncan held his hand firmly over Lyle's palm while cradling it in his other hand.
Duncan’s dark brows drew together as the heat in Lyle’s palm increased. A moment, a feeling passed between them and suddenly Lyle had no pain. His confusion was clear as he answered him looking down at his hand and then back up at Duncan.
“I feel nothing. It was throbbing like a bitch and now there is no pain at all.” Lyle continued searching Duncan’s heated stare waiting for an answer.
Duncan raised Lyle’s hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss to the center of his palm all the while keeping his eyes on Lyle’s. He was completely transfixed by the look in Duncan’s eyes so powerful and yet so tender. Was this more than just simple attraction he was feeling? He glanced down at his palm again and there was nothing there except pink unblemished flesh. The bloody gash was completely healed.
"How did you do that?" Lyle asked. He wasn't questioning the reality of it, only the method by which it was done. He had a gaping wound and now there was nothing. Duncan kissed his palm again and then set the basin on the bedside table.
“Take your shirt off. I want to see if you have any cuts that need attending.” He asked and stood. Lyle sat up to remove his t-shirt and Duncan reached over and helped him pull it up and over his head. He should have felt self-conscious about baring his small chest in front of this specimen of physical perfection, but Duncan did not make him feel that way. Duncan’s assessments were always warm and admiring.
Duncan leaned Lyle closer and held him with his arm around his shoulders as he ran his other hand over his chest and torso checking for injuries. The minor scrapes on his shoulder and forearm were wiped away with the swipe of his hand. Everything disappeared beneath his healing touch and Lyle was beginning to wonder if he’d struck his head during his fall and this was all a hallucination. “Am I hallucinating?” He asked while reaching up to rub his eyes.
“You’re not hallucinating, my love, I have the ability to heal you. What you are seeing is real.” Duncan stated and then ran his hand over the bared birthmark on Lyle’s back and the touch as always was electric. Duncan pressed Lyle’s head to his shoulder so he could look at the birthmark on his back.
"That's just a birthmark." Lyle clarified thinking that Duncan might think it a bruise. He decided to let the ‘I can heal you' statement go until he had a clearer head.
"I know." He whispered against the side of Lyle's head. Lyle was eating up the attention and enjoyed resting his head on such strong, capable shoulders. The only way this could be better was if they were both naked.
Duncan ran his hand over the mark reveling in the knowledge that this man belonged to him and soon he would know all of Duncan’s secrets. He stared at the mark that he’d waited centuries to find and saw the inflammation was escalating to a near glow. He would have to move things along faster and hoped Lyle was in a place to believe.
At last, he laid Lyle back onto the pillows and stood up. "I'm going to get you something to drink and then I will be back." He said and bent at the waist placing a loving kiss to Lyle's forehead. Lyle nodded and kept his eyes on Duncan following his every move and every expression. His mate was trying to figure him out. He wasn't scared or upset, Duncan would have known if he was. Lyle was just curious, and he was searching for reasonable answers.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll explain everything to you very soon. Now rest and I’ll be back shortly.” Another kiss and Duncan left the room closing the door behind him. Duncan went to the kitchen and opened the door to the deck drinking in the evening air and clearing his head of the intoxicating allure of his gorgeous mate.
He was open with Lyle showing him the healing power in preparation for so many more revelations to come. He threw his head back and let his dragon skim the surface of his awareness. Being in such close quarters with his mate and having him so soft and responsive was playing havoc with his ability to refrain from claiming him right then and there.
His brother Jude arrived at the Gatehouse after helping the elders to settle in one of the large cabins to the East. He would live at the Gatehouse as would all the Dragon Knights. Rafe and Locke were still shuttling the remaining families to Laramie and arranging living quarters. After congratulations, Jude asked how the claiming was progressing.
“Progressing.” Was all Duncan would share. His brother understood and shifted his discussion to matters of the Circle and the relocation before going out to join Grey on patrol. It won’t be long before the Gatehouse began to fill, and Duncan wanted his mating to be complete before Lyle was forced to be in the company of too many of his kind. The mark would continue to cause him discomfort and would get to the point of actual pain if Duncan did not complete their bond. It was inflamed but not to the point of agony, so he still had time.
Before heading back upstairs with a cup of hot ginger tea and some soda crackers, he put in a call to his brother Rafe. He was only a few years younger than Duncan and was the most fierce and deadly of the Dragon Knights. Duncan had a request to fulfill he would have taken care of it himself, but he could not be away from his mate at this time.
CHAPTER SIX
As soon as Duncan left the room, Lyle sat up and pulled his phone from his pants pocket. He needed to talk to Hunter, immediately. He was coherent and he was not misunderstanding the events around him, mystical shit was happening, and he needed to understand it.
“What the fuck is the deal with Duncan?” Was his opening statement.
“You’re going to have to give me more than that if you want an answer. I saw that guy, and he is scary as fuck, so I’m not going to start theorizing as to his problems without an ample explanation first.” Hunter was serious. Lyle didn’t understand the scary as fuck comment. Duncan was severe maybe but definitely not scary.
“Okay, first off he moved so fast that I swear he was flying. We covered nearly two miles in less than a few seconds.” It was a disjointed declaration, but Lyle’s thoughts were everywhere at the moment. “He was carrying me, Hunter.”
“Why was he carrying you?
“I lost my footing during our walk and tumbled down a steep embankment, sort of a gully I guess.”
“Did you hurt yourself?”
“Yeah, just scrapes and cuts on my arm but I tore up my hand pretty good.” Lyle looked at the palm of his hand and marveled at what Duncan had done. “And believe it or not he caught me before I hit the bottom. How did he get from beside me to in front of me that fast?”
Hunter was silent too long. “What is it, Hunter, what’s going on?”
"The Club is part of a larger operation called the Shetland Circle, of which Duncan is the leader. He is very powerful and extremely qualified for his position, believe me. I don't doubt that he can move fast and that he would want to take care of you, but I don't think it's anything to worry about." Hunter ended on a strange tone after giving him nothing but bits and pieces.
“He didn’t just move fast, Hunter. His speed was inhuman.” Lyle clarified but left it there. “One more thing, he healed the gash on my hand by holding it and staring into my eyes. That fall messed me up and now I don’t have a mark on me. Explain that one.”
"I don't have anything," Hunter said and then fell silent for a moment. "You're sure of your injuries? You didn't hit your head?"
Lyle shook his head in frustration. “I’m sure and I know what I saw.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, I can promise you that you are one hundred percent safe. Open your mind to outrageous possibilities, Lyle.”
“I feel as if you’re telling me so much and yet saying nothing at all.”
“I am. Talk to Duncan, ask him your questions.”
"I have, but he's being really cagy."
“Keep asking.”
“I will.”
Lyle felt better after talking with his brother although he was as confused as ever. The simple truth is, even though he was unsure what was happening
, he wasn't afraid. There was something about that man that just called to him on a level Lyle wasn't familiar with. Duncan was too good for him and he realized that their time together would be limited, but thoughts of leaving left him feeling anxious and empty.
Enjoy the moment but don’t get lost, he told himself as he sat on the edge of the bed and looked out the window that gave a similar view to his. He noticed another black SUV pull up and park and another large man with black hair and an all-encompassing sense of authority strode up to the house. Duncan had said his brothers would be joining him soon, so Lyle assumed this was another brother. He looked more like Grey than Duncan, but there was a definite family resemblance.
He took several deep breaths and walked back over to the bed and sat on the edge. He grabbed his t-shirt from the bedside table where Duncan had laid it and was in the process of slipping it on when Duncan walked back into the room. He set a cup on the side table and stopped him from putting the t-shirt on.
“That shirt is in rough shape after your fall.” He explained and tossed it across the room onto the window seat. “I’ll get you a clean one from your room but first have a few sips of this.” He took the cup and handed it to Lyle and then took a seat on the edge of the bed next to him.
“Thanks.” Lyle took the cup and drank. The warmth and the ginger taste were very soothing. He would have to get some of this tea after he left here. It would be a good memory to keep. Lyle was pulled out of his thoughts by Duncan’s hand rubbing ever so lightly against his birthmark. Everyone seemed obsessed although he had no complaints regarding Duncan’s touch.
His large warm hands actually seemed to relieve the pain and tenderness that had been flaring up in that area. “That feels good.” He moaned the words without realizing how it could be taken. Duncan removed the cup of tea from Lyle’s grip and placed it back on the table before encircling Lyle in his arms and pulling him up close.
King of the Dragons: Dragon's Blood M.C. (Dragon's Blood M.C. Book 9) Page 5
