Myst and Syx shared a look that Onyx couldn’t decipher, but it didn’t look good. “Uh, when’s the last time you saw them?” Myst asked. Onyx could tell he was trying for nonchalant, but he didn’t quite pull it off.
“The night of the new moon. We came home, they went to their rooms, and I don’t think I’ve seen them since. I thought they might be hiding out because they were ashamed of what happened. By the looks on your faces, I’d say that’s not the case.”
“We were just coming to find them,” Syx admitted. He pulled at his blond hair and sighed. “This is bad.”
“You think they left?” Onyx ground his teeth together to keep from growling. “How could they just slip out without any of us knowing about it?”
“It’s not like we exactly keep tabs on them like we do Echo,” Myst answered indignantly.
“Keep tabs on who?” Fiero strolled into the room, shoving a chocolate cupcake into his mouth. “Wha’ goin’ on?”
Without looking Fiero’s way, Onyx reached out and smacked the warrior in the back of the head. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”
Fiero opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out to show off the gooey glob in his mouth. Then he shut his lips and swallowed before smiling roguishly at Onyx. “Yes, Mother.”
Onyx cuffed him in the back of the head again. “Have you seen the shifters?”
Shrugging, Fiero sauntered over to the sofa and plopped down on the cushions, sprawling out as though it was no concern to him. “Nope.”
“What about the bloodsuckers and Craze?” Myst asked slowly. “Have they been around?”
“Haven’t seen ’em in a couple of days,” Fiero answered distractedly while he flipped through the channels on the television.
Onyx tensed. “Gage, Mac, or Sony?”
“Saw Mac this morning,” Syx said immediately. “I haven’t seen Gage or Sony, though. Mac looked like shit, and he didn’t say too much.”
“Son of a bitch,” Onyx growled. “Split up and check the house. We’ll meet back here in five minutes.”
Five minutes later, everyone was back, Syx dragging Mac along behind him. Mac knew something, but he wasn’t talking. He wouldn’t meet Onyx’s eyes either. “Call Craze.”
Syx pulled his cell phone from his pocket and began dialing.
“I’ll get Hex,” Myst offered and turned to jog back up the stairs.
“I’ll go find the others.” Then Fiero disappeared as well.
“Straight to voice mail.” Syx flipped his phone closed and stuffed it back in his pocket. “I really do not have the patience for this shit right now.”
That was saying something considering Syx had to be the most patient and easygoing of them all. “Do you think they left on their own?”
“Well, I sure as hell don’t think someone walked in here and took them without any of us knowing,” Eyce said, following Fiero down the staircase. “I can’t believe Craze wouldn’t tell us, though. He knows how dangerous it is.”
As one, they all turned their eyes to Mac. “You need to tell us what you know,” Onyx said. “Why would you just let Gage go like that?”
“He didn’t tell me he was leaving,” Mac whispered, finally lifting his head to meet Onyx’s gaze. “I woke up, and they were gone.”
“Then why didn’t you tell someone?” Syx asked gently.
“Gage left a note. He said for me to stay in our room, that he’d be back soon, and not to tell anyone.”
“Did it say anything about where he was going?” Hex asked as he and Echo followed Myst into the room.
Mac shook his head. His eyes were red and puffy, glittering with unshed tears. “No. I’m sorry.”
“When did they leave?”
“The night after the new moon. I woke up the next morning, and they were gone.”
That had been the night Onyx and his lovers had gone down to the kappa pound to have a little time alone. It had been a nice night, warmer than usual. They’d fed cucumbers to the kappas, made love under the stars, and just enjoyed spending some uninterrupted time together.
“What about the others?” Syx asked. “They’re all missing.”
Mac shook his head again. “I don’t know. Someone please tell me what’s going on. Are they okay?”
“I don’t think so, Mac.” Onyx wished he had better news for the little man. If Gage had thought to be back before anyone noticed, and he’d yet to return, that could only mean things had not gone as planned.
“You haven’t seen anything?” Fiero asked. He tapped his temple to punctuate how he thought Mac would have seen.
“I’m not a fucking transistor radio!” Mac shouted. His chest heaved, rising and falling in rapid succession. “I can’t just tune into whatever channel I want to see. It doesn’t work that way!”
Echo hurried over to his friend and wrapped an arm around Mac’s shoulders. “We’re going to find them, okay?” He looked at Hex and glared. “Now do you see what happens when you keep secrets?” he asked dangerously.
Onyx wasn’t exactly happy with their leader either, but it wasn’t the time to start arguing. “We need to talk to Lorcan.”
Echo closed his eyes and groaned. “That had better not be another secret ex-lover, or I promise you, I’m about to become really freakin’ celibate.”
“No.” Hex scrubbed a hand over his face and took a deep breath. “He’s the alpha of the local pack.”
“Pack of what?” If there had been any more ice in Echo’s voice, the room would have frozen over solid.
“Coyote shifters,” Onyx answered when Hex merely continued to stare. This had gone on long enough. “Lorcan is a good guy. You met him.”
Echo’s eyebrows drew together, and he mumbled under his breath for a few seconds. “That huge guy from the party that owns a flower shop in town?”
“Yep. That’s him. If he knows anything, he’ll help.”
“He seemed really nice when I met him.” Echo’s brow creased further. “Why would you want me to stay away from him?”
“Oh, it’s not the coyotes that we’re worried about,” Hex answered. “The pack doesn’t live in town. They have a little community set up a little ways west.”
“Hex,” Echo growled. “Would you just spit it out already? I think I’ve proven that there is very little that I can’t handle.”
Onyx agreed. He was all for protecting their mate, and keeping him away from undue stress, but Echo had a right to know—especially after the things that had happened to him in the past few weeks. “Just tell him, Hex. I don’t know why it’s such a big goddamn secret anyway.”
Hex nodded curtly before returning his attention to Echo. “Lorcan informed us a few days before the party that there were some newcomers to the town. He thinks they’re running from something, and a couple members of his pack have gone missing. Not to mention regular townspeople.”
“You mean humans,” Echo deciphered. “Okay, so that leads me to believe that these drifters are not human.” He rubbed at his temples and sighed. “Hex, please, I’m begging here. Can we cut through all the bullshit and just get to the point?”
“They’re vampires, Echo.”
Echo didn’t say anything for a long time, and Onyx could tell their mate was turning over the information in his head. He could practically hear the wheels turning.
“That’s why you immediately thought I had been changed when you found me,” he said slowly. “I would imagine that Ares planned it that way as well. If I’d had died like I was supposed to, you would have ripped the town apart to find out who did it.”
Onyx wasn’t sure whether to growl at the idea of someone hurting his mate, or smile at Echo’s perceptiveness. In the end, he settled for a little snarl. Hey, at least his lip curled upward.
“So, everyone that has been here is from Lorcan’s pack, huh?”
The warriors all nodded.
“It would have been easier if you’d just told me.” Echo huffed and shook his head. “Okay, we’re going to talk
about this later, and about how it’s stupid to keep things from me. Right now, I want to know what’s going on and why everyone is missing.”
“We’ve been pulled in six different directions for the past few months,” Onyx began. “When we invited the shifters to celebrate your birthday, we didn’t even think about Jet and Pax. I’m sure they’re pretty eager to learn more about the local pack after being isolated their entire lives.”
“That makes sense, but why wouldn’t they just tell us?” Echo looked kind of cute when he was confused. His nose scrunched and his lips were pouty. “I mean, we could have invited the pack here where it’s safe. Why would they just leave like that?”
“I think they were ashamed of what they did on the new moon,” Syx responded. “Maybe they thought they wouldn’t be welcome here anymore.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Echo threw his hands up and marched over to flop down on the sofa. “And it doesn’t explain where everyone else went either. You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“Echo, we don’t have all the answers. If we did, we wouldn’t be standing around with our dicks in our hands right now.”
Echo glared at Fiero and stuck his tongue out. “Well, someone call Lorcan and find out what he knows. Or go look for them. I don’t know why Gage would take Sony and leave Mac here. That doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.”
Onyx shifted his eyes to Mac. The little guy looked so lost that it broke his heart. He’d probably have the same look if he suddenly found himself alone, and specifically, without his men. “Mac, have you tried to call him?”
Mac shook his head sadly. “I don’t have a phone. I would have had to ask to borrow one of yours, and then you’d know Gage was gone. He told me not to tell anyone.”
Hex’s hand shot into his pocket, drawing Onyx’s attention. The alpha pulled his cell phone out, stared at the display, and then flipped it open. “Lorcan, I was just about to call you.”
He was silent for a long time, his face completely wiped of any emotion. “I see. I don’t know if that’s a good idea. You know why they’re here.” He paused again and finally sighed. “Right. Right. No, I get it.” Another moment of silence. “Thank you, Lorcan. We’ll take help wherever we can find it. We’re missing a few other members of the house as well. Do you know anything about that?”
Onyx drifted closer to Hex without even realizing it. Whatever was going on, he wanted to know, and he wanted to know now.
“Okay. Right. I’ll be in touch soon.” Hex flipped his phone closed and shoved it in his pocket. “That was Lorcan.”
Everyone growled, and Eyce actually smacked Hex in the back of the head. “No shit,” Eyce grumbled. “What did he say?”
“Jet and Pax are with his pack. I guess they showed up last night.”
“So, we’re correct in assuming they were just curious?” Syx asked.
Hex shook his head. “They met Lorcan at the party.”
Onyx bit the inside of his cheek until it bled to keep from snapping at Hex. His patience was running thin, and the demon’s hedging was just pissing him off.
“Lorcan is their mate.” Hex pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply. “Lorcan told them to stay here until he could make it safe for them to join his pack.”
“So, why did they leave?” Echo asked.
Onyx smiled at his mate and shook his head. “What would you do if we sent you away—even if it was for your own safety—and didn’t tell you how long it would be before we came for you?”
“I’d hunt you down and kick your ass,” Echo responded immediately.
“Exactly. It’s worse for shifters, vampires, even demons.” Eyce drifted over to the sofa and eased down beside Echo. “It’s like this clawing, aching, all-consuming need to be near our mates. You can only fight it for so long.”
“I still don’t know why they didn’t just tell us.”
Everyone turned to look at Hex. “Well, Syx nailed in on the head about them being ashamed and not thinking they were welcome here any longer.” Hex waved a hand as if the information was unimportant. “Anyway, they’re going to stay with Lorcan for now. He’s also offered the aid of his pack in the war.”
“I knew I liked him,” Echo quipped with a big smile. “I will miss Jet and Pax, though. They’ll still visit, right?”
Onyx shrugged. Yeah, the little shifters were nice, but he wasn’t too upset about them leaving. As long as they were safe, it was one step closer to having their home back to themselves. “Did he know anything about Gage or the rest of them?”
“He says he doesn’t, and I believe him.”
Onyx retrieved his phone from his pocket and shoved it into Mac’s hands. “Call Gage.”
“Rude,” Echo called from the sofa.
“Please,” Onyx bit out then turned a frosty grin on his mate. “Better, dear?”
“Not really.”
Before anyone could say or do anything, the front door swung open, and Craze stomped into the living room. He looked mad enough to breathe fire, and he was completely alone. He held up a hand before any of them could question him, though. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. Let me get a shower and calm down, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
With that, he turned on his heels and marched up the staircase.
“This just keeps getting better.” Echo sighed and curled into Eyce’s side. “I quit.”
“What do you quit?” Eyce asked quietly.
“Trying to figure out all the answers. I just want someone to tell me what to do from now on so I don’t have to think anymore.”
Onyx swallowed down the groan that he felt rumbling in his chest. Just maybe, he was exactly what their mate needed at the moment. He sure as hell hoped so, anyway. Walking slowly across the room, he stopped in front of Echo and held out his hand. “Come with me.”
Echo looked confused but took his hand and rose gracefully from the sofa. “Where are we going?”
“Go up to my room and wait for me. I’ll be there in a minute.”
To his surprise, Echo didn’t argue. He dipped his head once and disappeared from the room.
“Be careful with him,” Fiero warned. “He’s getting better, but I’m not sure if he’s ready for you, man.”
“I’d never hurt him,” Onyx vowed.
“We know.” Vapre’s fingers wound around the back of Onyx’s neck, and he squeezed gently. “All we’re saying is that he’s not one of us. Go slow.”
“I’d never hurt him,” Onyx repeated. “If things don’t go…right…”
“We’ll give you whatever you need,” Myst answered Onyx’s unspoken question. “Hell, I’ll give it to you even if things go perfectly.”
With that reassurance, Onyx took a deep breath and went in search of his mate. He’d never been nervous before, but then again, he’d never had so much riding on how he conducted himself or how his partner would perceive him. He just hoped he didn’t fuck this up.
Chapter Four
Echo sat on the end of Onyx’s bed with his hands in his lap. It had been on the tip of his tongue to argue—or at the very least ask what it was Onyx wanted. He’d pulled it back at the last second. He’d promised himself that he would stop trying to control everything, and this seemed like a good place to start.
When Onyx stepped through the door, Echo looked up at him with a smile but didn’t move. Fiero had explained a few things about Onyx to him, and, though he was nervous, he wanted this. If it didn’t work out, if he didn’t like it, that was fine. He needed to try, though, needed to know if he had it in him to let someone else be in total control.
Onyx looked right into his eyes, crossing the room and kneeling on the floor at Echo’s feet. His large hands rested on Echo’s knees, and he rubbed and squeezed them absently. “Are you sure about this? You know what I’m asking from you, right?”
“Not everything, no, but I want to try. Will you be mad if I can’t do it?”
Sadness settled in Onyx’s eyes,
and he shook his head slowly. “No, baby. I don’t need this from you. I won’t deny I want it—maybe more than I’ve wanted anything in a long time, but I don’t need it. If you don’t like it, say the word and everything stops. I won’t be upset, and we’ll just go back to the way things were.”
“I want to try,” Echo repeated. He wished he could give Onyx more assurance, but he was scared, and he had no idea what to expect. He really hoped that he didn’t freak out and make a complete fool of himself.
“Then give me a safe word.”
“Safe word?” Echo tilted his head to the side and his eyebrows drew together. “What’s that and why do I need one?”
“It’s any word you want it to be. I will never hurt you, but if at any time it becomes too much, you use your safe word. Everything stops immediately.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that, baby.”
“Why do I need a safe word? Why can’t I just say stop or no?”
Onyx seemed to consider his words for a long time before he spoke. “A safe word is unambiguous. What if I stop doing something you like, and you say no because you want it to continue? Or what if you ask me to not stop? Do you understand, baby?”
Echo nodded slowly. “What if I forget my safe word? Onyx, I’ve never done anything like this before. What if I mess up?” He was beginning to reach a new level of anxiety and seriously reconsidering if this was such a good idea.
“Shh, baby.” Onyx reached up to caress Echo’s cheek. “We’ll start slow this first time, okay? Something fairly mild. If you like it, we’ll go from there, okay?”
A little of the tension ebbed, and Echo sucked in a deep breath. “Do I still need a password?”
“Safe word, sweetheart, safe word, and yes. What if we use a color code at first—red for stop, yellow for slow down, and green for go? Would that make you feel better?”
Onyx was trying so hard, and Echo already felt like a total loser. They hadn’t even started, and he was already questioning everything to death. “Please don’t be mad if I mess up, or I don’t like this.”
“I promise. I told you, Echo, I don’t need this from you. We don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable.”
Evans, Gabrielle - The Hunger [Fatefully Yours 7] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) Page 3
