by Marie Medina
“Go. I’ll probably be in my room.”
Nodding, Dane said, “Good. We’re picking up where we left off.” He planted a quick kiss on Luke’s lips and smiled up at him, then rushed back toward the palace.
They told me to expect drama here. If only someone had warned me how quickly I’d be drawn into it. And yet he knew the frustration and worry plaguing him now would be more than worth it as soon as Dane smiled at him again.
****
Dane balled his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. He couldn’t be sure if he was more nervous or angry—the two emotions almost seemed to be fueling each other. He slowed his pace a bit when he rounded a corner in the private wing of the palace and saw the king’s study door open. The guard patrolling the hallway nodded at him, accustomed to seeing him there. Dane’s thoughts remained muddled, but he knew what he wanted to say first.
Dane hesitated a moment, just inches from the door, and then moved to stand in the opening and knock. As his knuckles touched the wood, he realized the king stood leaning on his desk, looking expectant. He lowered his hand and gave a quick bow.
Asmund smiled, but his eyes studied Dane closely. “I felt you coming. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Dane came into the room and closed the door. He wiped his hands on his trousers as he crossed the room. Once he stood beside the king, he said, “Why didn’t you tell me you went back and did something to that man?”
Asmund’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s not what I expected you to ask at all.” The king sighed as he gazed down. “Despite how much that man hurt you, what he took from you, I sensed you wished him no harm.” He lifted his gaze back to Dane. “I worried it would upset you to know, given how tenderhearted you are. I wanted you to forget it as soon as possible and focus on recovering.”
“I wanted him stopped. You said he’d never harm anyone again, and I assumed you meant you’d placed some kind of enchantment around him.”
“That would be challenging magic, even for me.” He paused a moment before asking, “You wish I hadn’t hurt him physically?”
Dane sat in one of the ornate chairs in front of the king’s desk. “Depends what you did.”
Asmund straightened and then pushed some books aside so he could perch on the edge of his desk. “I beat him as badly as he beat you, in the end. He must’ve been drunk when he attacked you because he didn’t seem to recognize me or remember anything strange about me rescuing you.”
When the king paused this time, Dane nodded slowly. “He’d been drinking, though I don’t know how much. He had a beer in hand when I started talking to him. I accepted the drink he offered me but only sipped it.” Memories flitted through his mind again. “But I went with him willingly. I told you that.”
“You were a child!” the king said, pounding his fist on the stack of books beside him. When Dane looked up, Asmund took a deep breath and lowered his voice as he said, “You showed poor judgment, but that’s no excuse. What happened to you isn’t your fault in any way. That man knew you were underage.”
“I know, I just…” Dane shook his head, not sure what he’d wanted to say. “Tell me what you did.”
The king studied him a moment before going on. “I started by punching him, and he obviously thought he could take me because of my size. He attacked me, wouldn’t back down. In the end, I touched his mind and made him pass out. Otherwise I’d have had to run away. Or kill him.”
“Is that all?”
Asmund shook his head. “I made him impotent, for a time. A spell that would wear off eventually. He already had two children he wasn’t supporting.”
Dane looked up, his eyes widening. “How did you know that?”
“I put someone to work right away. I wanted to know what sort of man he was.” The king’s hand tightened on the desk’s edge. “He was a brute, Dane, and I would’ve felt justified killing him.”
“But he’s still alive?”
“Yes. Rotting in a prison cell because the next time he put his hands on a teenage boy, someone caught him.”
“The boy’s okay? Now?”
“Yes, he’s fine. I had the man watched, so people arrived to help before things progressed, if you get my meaning.”
Dane sat back in the chair and gazed up at his king, scared to ask his next question but feeling compelled to. “Have you ever killed anyone?”
“No, Dane, but I would kill to protect my people. Even just one of them.” Asmund stood and yanked the other chair closer, sitting down and facing Dane. “Wouldn’t you rather talk about your Beta than things from the past?”
“I wish you’d let me tell him about it,” Dane said, the words rushing out of him as he stared Asmund down.
Asmund said, “You might not believe me, but I’m not sure what made me tell him and Gregor about it. Maybe seeing him watch you worried me. I sense he’s a very good man, yet something compelled me to say what I did.”
“I owe you my life, but that was my story to tell.”
The king reached over to touch his arm. “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”
Dane eyed his hand before looking up again. “Promise you won’t ever do it again.”
Asmund nodded, withdrawing his hand. “I promise. I couldn’t stand for you to hate me.”
“Hate you? I’m upset, that’s all.” Dane shifted on his chair. “I suppose you were only trying to protect me. Wolves tend to go all in, it seems.”
“They do indeed. Though I’ll say I’ve never seen Jared happier.”
Dane smiled, though it soon faded. “Luke told me his mate is deceased.” He tilted his head. “He tell you that?”
“Yes. In fact, it gave me hope you two might be good for each other. I felt better knowing he wouldn’t pin you to the wall and start growling the word mine.”
Dane almost laughed at that. “I don’t know about the past, or when he met his mate, but he’s not that kind of man now. He’s been a gentleman.”
“Good.”
“Though it’s not exactly what I want.”
“Oh?” The king smiled. “He is handsome.”
“And he’d probably have come to my bed last night if you hadn’t told him about what happened to me.”
“Lesson learned, I promise.” The king sat back, templing his fingers in front of him and resting them under his chin. “I am forgiven, aren’t I?”
Dane tried to keep a straight face. “I suppose, though it might be nice to have you groveling for a while.”
One of Asmund’s eyebrows rose. “Hmmm. You think so, do you?”
“The most powerful man alive indebted to me? Could be beneficial.”
“Most powerful, huh? Don’t feel that way at times.” He sighed. “I love you, Dane, but I think you’re bordering on treason here.” But then he laughed and stood up.
Dane sat transfixed.
“What is it?” the king asked, his laughter fading.
“I know you love us all. I suppose it just struck me to hear you say it directly to me.”
Asmund frowned. “Really? Seems I’ve been remiss then.” He walked over and clutched Dane’s shoulder. “I think of you as family. You mean so much to Jared, but I like you as a friend as well. Consider you a very good one, in fact.”
Dane rose. “I love you, too. Enjoy our talks.” He felt a little embarrassed saying it, but the king’s smile reassured him. “I don’t really know quite how I feel about what you did all those years ago, but I’m grateful you cared enough to do it. I know it must be hard to make those kinds of decisions, especially when you’re close to the person.”
“We can talk about it any time you like.”
Taking a deep breath, Dane shook his head before exhaling. “No. There’s no need. I moved past it all long ago, but once I found out what you’d done, I had to hear about it straight from you.”
“You all right?”
“Yes. Though if all goes well I’ll probably be skipping our talks for a while.”
Asmund walked around h
is desk and drew his chair out. “You do have a very handsome shifter to get back to, don’t you? I wasn’t at all surprised you didn’t come by last night.”
“I do. He’s waiting for me. Probably a bit worried.”
The king sat down and smiled at him. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“Nothing, I guess,” Dane said with a chuckle before heading toward the door. Though his mind still whirled, he quickened his pace as he made his way to Luke’s room.
Chapter Three
Luke had only been back in his room a few minutes when a knock came at the door. Dane came in as soon as he opened the door, and Luke had barely shut it before the fae had him pinned against it, arms around Luke’s neck and expectation in his eyes.
“Miss me?” Dane asked.
Luke grinned. “Yes, even though it hasn’t been that long.” He kissed Dane’s cheek and then pulled from his grasp. Despite what Dane obviously expected, Luke still intended to go slow. “How did your talk with the king go?”
“Interesting. Eye-opening.” Dane’s eyes took on a faraway look, a smile curving his lips. “He told me he loves me. Shocked me, honestly.”
Luke felt his wolf growl deep inside. Dane had gotten that look in his eyes before when talking about the king. “Given what you said yesterday and that dreamy look on your face, you might want to qualify that statement.”
Dane’s brows came together. “What? I was just saying it surprised me. I know he loves us all, but—” Dane’s mouth formed an O, as if he finally understood. “Ah, that didn’t come out right.”
“Damn right it didn’t,” Luke said.
“Fae don’t care about age as much, and the king’s very handsome, but that would be weird. He’s like an uncle or something. Big brother maybe.” He took a step forward. “I’m not trying to get into his bed, am I?”
“Shifters have a problem with jealousy. You’ll have to get used to it.”
Dane took his hand and moved back to the bed, reclining on it and trying to pull Luke onto it with him. “Come here and make me forget any other men exist at all.”
“This is where you left off, but I left off at a different place,” Luke said, pulling Dane back to his feet. “I want to spend every moment with you, but I want there to be more between us before we climb into this bed.”
“I think touching me would be a great way to find out exactly what there is between us.”
Luke ran his hand into the hair at the nape of Dane’s neck and drew the man close. Pressing his lips to Dane’s ear, he said, “If I make love to you, I won’t ever want to let you go. Don’t you see I’m afraid of being hurt, little one?” He kissed Dane’s neck. “I want to rake my teeth over your skin. Bite your shoulder as I take you from behind. Bring you release after release until you beg for mercy. Have you on your knees, hungry for my cock.”
Dane shuddered against him. “If you really want to wait, you better stop saying those things.” He drew back enough to look into Luke’s eyes. “You might be stronger, but I’m powerful in other ways. I could easily have you spread across this bed, unable to move. Completely at my mercy.”
Luke felt his wolf go still, the beast intrigued by that idea. “I’d love that.” After another few moments of staring into Dane’s eyes, he made himself add, “One day.” He took Dane’s hand and kissed it. “Will you give me at least a few more days? Trust that if we’re right for each other, I’ll give you enough pleasure to more than make up for the wait.”
“I’m saying I’m ready now because I think we’re perfect for each other.” Dane chewed his lower lip. “You think that can’t be right? That it’s only my hormones? Excitement about our people coming together and Jared being a wolf’s mate?”
“Yes, I think it’s at least partly that.”
Dane gazed down, looking hurt.
Gripping the fae’s chin, Luke brought Dane’s face up. “I like honesty. Forgive me if it hurt your feelings.”
“I’m disappointed,” Dane said. Then a sly grin came to his face. “You give your word you’ll make it up to me?”
“Oh yes, in ways you can’t even imagine.”
“I have a vivid imagination,” Dane said, winking as he moved past Luke and headed for the door.
“Start writing things down, then,” Luke said as he joined Dane at the door. “Where we going?”
Dane yanked the door open. “Out. You want me to behave, we have to leave this room.”
“Good idea,” Luke said, even though he had no desire to be around others. “Why don’t you take me to the library? Gregor said it’s impressive.”
Dane laughed. “You already seem to know me pretty well.”
“I’m a quick study when the subject’s interesting.” He twined his fingers with Dane’s. “Come on. You can show me some of the ancient volumes you were rhapsodizing about yesterday.”
“I wouldn’t say I was rhapsodizing.”
Luke quirked an eyebrow, which made Dane laugh. He tightened his grip on the man’s hand, joy filling his heart as the beautiful sound echoed around him.
****
The Next Day
Dane tossed his shoes down past the reach of the incoming waves and then stepped forward to bury his toes in the wet sand. He sighed as the warm water hit his legs, and he looked up when Luke finally joined him in the water.
“Even though I knew this place was an island, I didn’t really think about how many beaches there would be. With all the forests around the palace.”
“We have everything here. Beaches and snowy mountains and even desert areas.”
Luke focused out toward the ocean. “How big is the island?”
“Very big. Roughly the size of Ireland.”
Luke’s eyes went wide. “The fae must be powerful if they’ve managed to keep it hidden.” He looked over at Dane. “Have satellites and drones been able to penetrate the cloak or glamour or whatever it is?”
Dane laughed. “You’d have heard about it on the news if anything ever had. Everyone would think they’d found Atlantis.”
“Is your realm where those stories come from?”
“It’s a fictional place invented by Plato. We’re a long way from where he placed it in his writings.”
“So there never was an Atlantis at all? It’s all made up?”
Dane smiled at him. “That’s an ancient human legend. How would I know?”
“You all seem to know lots of things we don’t.”
“We? Do you consider yourself human?”
“Yes. Hard not to. I do differentiate between shifter and non-shifter, but not in a bad way.”
Dane raised one eyebrow. “In a cautious way?”
“Yes.”
Dane took Luke’s hand and began walking down the beach. “You were born in the pack? Never knew any other life?”
“Yes. Both my parents were full shifters. But I went to public school with humans. We all do. And more than half of us work outside of pack lands.”
“Our people need permission from the king to live outside our realm for more than a few months. The council has to discuss it as well. Fae children born out there have to come back here when their powers begin to grow.” He sighed. “I think Asmund wishes to be more modern and less cloistered but doesn’t know where to start. How to approach it. He wants change but fears discovery. The danger that might come.”
“I think this alliance will be a good first step.” Luke cleared his throat. “Get some of you out into the world more.”
“I’ll come visit Jared, of course.”
Luke stopped and tugged on Dane’s hand. “Visit?”
“Sure.”
A growl came from the handsome man. “You’re ready to jump into my bed but expect me to leave you here? To be separated from you?”
Luke’s anger surprised Dane. “We haven’t made it to bed yet. Maybe when we cross that bridge, we’ll talk about where I live and how I conduct my life. But you wanted slow, so you’re getting it.”
Luke’s ja
w clenched. “We don’t have to be fucking for you to come with me.”
“I have a job. My entire life. I can’t go with you and just stay.”
“But I can’t stay here. I’m Gregor’s second. We have a bond. Like brothers.”
“Doesn’t he have other Betas?”
“Yes, he has many strong Betas, but they aren’t me. We have a bond, like I said. It’s very important for every Alpha to have a male who has been close and loyal most of his life. He and I have been friends since we were children.”
Dane didn’t want to argue, even though he thought Luke was being unreasonable. “Look, let’s not argue. We’re still getting to know each other. There’s no reason for either of us to be this upset.”
Luke drew him close, and Dane expected a heated kiss. But instead the man simply held him. After several long moments, Dane said, “Are you all right?”
Luke sighed as he buried his face in Dane’s hair. “I feel happy when I’m with you. It’s been a long time.” He stepped back. “I’ve just been getting by, barely managing contentment, for a long time now.”
Dane drew the big man down into a kiss, wanting to be more aggressive but keeping the embrace sweet and tender. “I’m not saying I’d never come to live there. Let’s not talk about it now. We’re both adults with responsibilities. We’ll figure it out if we get there.”
“If? I thought you were certain we’re right for each other.”
“I am, but happily ever after doesn’t always come.”
Pain came to Luke’s face. “I know.”
Dane kissed his cheek. “Come on.” He tugged Luke back toward their shoes. “I know the perfect spot to watch the sunset.”
Luke squeezed his hand. “Anyplace with you’ll be perfect.”
Dane found himself stopping and staring up at Luke. “You’re nothing like what I expected when I heard you and Gregor were coming.”
“Really?” Luke’s fingers rubbed his knuckles.
“Yeah. I expected a big, scary warrior.”
“I’m glad I’m not scary.”
Dane laughed, running his other hand up Luke’s arm. “But you’re big and strong.”
