In the Sniper’s Crosshairs

by Charlie Richards

Feeling his cheeks heat for a reason other than arousal, Eion lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. What could he say? It was the truth, after all.

  Narrowing his eyes, Castrose leaned closer, stretching his big body over him so his cheek pressed against Eion’s. “I get it, and we’ll talk about all the implications later when I’m not thinking with my dick.” Castrose nipped at Eion’s earlobe. “Right now.” His mate’s breath was hot against his flesh. “Bite me. I wanna fill your ass with more of my seed.”

  Eion groaned, knowing he could do little but obey his mate’s request. Twisting his torso awkwardly beneath Castrose, he arched his neck. The position wasn’t ideal—in fact, it was damn uncomfortable, especially since he had to make certain his human’s long, hard erection didn’t slide from his chute—but Eion opened his mouth and found purchase on the skin of Castrose’s shoulder.

  After a second of hesitation, Eion sank his teeth deep into Castrose’s flesh. He moaned upon tasting his mate’s bitter-sweet, life-giving fluid. Licking around where he’d embedded his teeth, he hummed appreciatively at the flavor.

  To Eion’s pleasure, Castrose shuddered and groaned as he clutched him even tighter. His arms were around Eion’s torso as his hips bucked once, twice, then stilled. He felt Castrose flood his channel with another load of jizz.

  Before he could lose his balance in the awkward position—especially since Castrose wasn’t a light man by any stretch—Eion eased his teeth from his mate’s neck. He lapped at the wound a couple of times, sealing it. Then he straightened under Castrose and moaned as he flopped onto the mattress, his mate following him down.

  Castrose sprawled over Eion’s back. His prick remained deep inside his body, and he eased his arms out from around him. As Castrose nuzzled his neck and behind his ear, humming contentedly, he slid his hands up Eion’s arms until their fingers met.

  Sliding his digits into Eion’s, Castrose rumbled gruffly, “Damn, Eion. You weren’t kidding.” He nipped at Eion’s earlobe, then suckled on it, easing the sting. “That was amazing.”

  A rough chuckle escaped Castrose as he squeezed their twined fingers. Then he licked at Eion’s flesh, causing goose bumps to pimple his skin. Then he relaxed, for all the world behaving as if he were settling in for a rest while sprawled on top of Eion and with his dick still in his ass.

  Eion couldn’t say he minded. There was something about being covered in his mate’s scent, in feeling his big body blanketing him, that settled his restless wolf. While his animal still wanted to finish claiming their human, having a happy-smelling, relaxed mate in their bed calmed his need.

  They lay in silence for several long minutes, and Eion enjoyed the easy comfort between them. Every few seconds, Castrose would rub his cheek over Eion’s shoulder or snuffle at his neck. If he were a cat shifter, Eion would have been certain his mate was marking and scenting him.

  As it was, Eion loved it regardless.

  “Am I crushing you?” Castrose’s deep voice finally broke the silence followed by the man kissing his nape. “I can move.”

  Squeezing Castrose’s fingers, Eion turned his head, lifted it a smidge, and pressed a kiss to the underside of his mate’s jaw. “I’m good.” When his mate lifted and turned his head, meeting his gaze, Eion grinned as he waggled his brows. “I told you, you’re welcome to stay buried in my ass for however long you’d like.” Squeezing his chute muscles, Eion added, “I like how you feel inside me.”

  Castrose sighed deeply. “So, maybe now would be a good time to tell you I’m an assassin. I specialize in long-distance kills, a sniper.” He licked a stripe up Eion’s neck, distracting him from responding. Then Castrose continued, “Probably should have told you that before I let you bite me. My brother decides which contracts I take. Makes sure the target needs to be offed.” His big shoulders slid across Eion’s own, telling him that Castrose shrugged. “Otherwise I’d take whatever contract offered the most money.”

  Eion swallowed hard, processing what Castrose had just admitted. His mate was a cold-blooded killer. While Eion hadn’t understood the extent of Castrose’s break from morality, he had at least heard his profession from his alpha.

  His voice gruff, Castrose asked, “Are you gonna have a problem with that?”

  Realizing he’d remained silent too long, Eion turned his head and again pressed a kiss to Castrose’s jaw. “Not a problem in the sense you mean,” he began slowly, mentally working through how to explain. “You see, Alpha Declan already explained the dynamic between you and your brother.”

  “He did?” Castrose slid his cheek to Eion’s shoulder and met his gaze. His brows were furrowed in confusion, which was also evident in his scent. “When? How would he even know?”

  “Your brother has been living with Beta Dixon for almost a week,” Eion explained, smirking. “Clayton thinks shifters are damn fascinating. He’s already met almost everyone in the pack just to see if he’s mated to one.” Shaking his head, Eion felt a measure of sadness. “Unfortunately, no dice.” Another thought struck him. “Damn, is he going to be jealous of you.”

  Castrose grunted as he finally, slowly, levered off of Eion.

  Eion hissed as he felt his mate’s soft dick slip from his ass. A second later, he registered the warm gush of seed oozing from his channel. As Castrose flopped sideways, lying on his side to face him, Eion noticed something else—something that hadn’t penetrated his contented lethargy.

  I’m in the wet spot.

  “That’s an odd notion,” Castrose commented as he propped his head on his hand.

  “What’s an odd notion?” While Eion had no desire to clean Castrose’s delicious scent from his body, he needed to wash up. A quick glance at his mate’s groin, which was covered in residual traces of semen and lube, told Eion that his human was in the same boat. “Come on,” he urged, sliding to the side and off the bed. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

  Castrose eased off the bed, then swept his gaze over the comforter. “We made a mess.”

  Eion spotted the half a dozen damp spots and chuckled. “But it was so worth it,” he declared as he clenched his chute muscles, enjoying the residual burn from having been stretched so damn well by his mate. Seeing Castrose’s look of concern as he continued to eye the comforter, Eion told him, “I have a quilt we can use while that’s washing.”

  Then Eion grabbed Castrose’s hand and led him out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. He reached into the shower stall and turned on the water. After adjusting it to his normal temperature, he climbed inside, tugging Castrose in beside him.

  Noticing the tension in Castrose’s shoulders and the stiffness of his stance, Eion cocked his head. “You okay?” he asked as he grabbed the loofah and body wash.

  “Never showered with anyone before,” Castrose mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, his discomfort clear.

  Eion poured the body wash onto the loofah, then placed the bottle back onto the shelf. “This is just for washing up, Cass,” he told him, reaching out and resting the loofah on his shoulder. “Just relax.” Grinning as he swept his gaze over Castrose’s body, allowing his desire to burn in his eyes, Eion refocused on his mate’s face. “We’ll take a playtime shower another time.”

  Sliding the loofah down Castrose’s tense arm, Eion used his other hand to urge his human to uncross his arms. “There ye go,” he crooned once his man’s arms hung loose at his sides. “We won’t be long in here today. We need a little more sleep tonight after all.” Eion couldn’t help the way he scowled as his thoughts turned to tomorrow’s activities.

  “Something just popped into your head that irritated you,” Castrose commented, lifting a hand and rubbing his forefingers along the bridge of his nose. “What’s wrong?”

  Eion snapped his focus to Castrose’s narrow-eyed expression. “Hmm, just thinking about my brother borrowing my motorcycle,” he admitted, impressed that his mate had picked up on his sudden mood swing.

  “Don’t like loaning your bike?
”

  Shaking his head, Eion admitted, “Brennan is not a good driver.”

  “Then why do it?”

  As Eion cleaned, keeping his movements utilitarian, he explained about the bet and his brother’s request. He dropped to one knee and worked down Castrose’s left leg, cleaned his feet, between his toes, then worked up his right leg. All the while, Castrose rested his hands on his shoulders for balance.

  After a perfunctory sweep over Castrose’s cock and balls, earning a grunt from his mate, Eion moved up his torso to wash the rest of him. His mate lifted his arms and rested his palms on the shower walls, giving him access to his arms and pits. Eion smiled, pleased that Castrose had overcome his reticence so swiftly.

  “So don’t give him your bike,” Castrose commented absently as he took the loofah from Eion. He grabbed the body wash and poured some on there. “Or tell him it was stolen or something.”

  Eion shivered as Castrose began rubbing the loofah over him. Enjoying his lover’s ministrations so much, it took him a second to process his words.

  It seems Castrose’s lack of ethics extends to every area of his life.

  “Well,” Eion began slowly, trying to choose words that wouldn’t offend Castrose. While Alpha Declan had given him background information on the human, Eion still technically didn’t know the man. “For one, I don’t squelch on bets. Second, he’s family, and we don’t lie to each other.” After seeing Castrose’s eyes narrow, Eion quickly added, “Also, as a wolf shifter, Brennan would be able to scent a lie. Paranormals can do that, you know.”

  Castrose remained quiet for a moment as he cleaned Eion’s cock and balls.

  Eion curled his toes at the pleasant stimulus, fighting his body’s desire to once again harden. As a shifter, he would have a heightened sex drive until they finished bonding. Even after that, a touch from his mate would rev him up in the blink of an eye.

  “Why does he want your motorcycle?” Castrose asked as he began rubbing over Eion’s chest, scraping over his nipples, causing them to bead. “And why doesn’t he go buy his own?”

  Gritting his teeth, Eion swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. He managed to get enough moisture into his throat to rasp, “He doesn’t really want one. He just wants to impress a girl.” Taking a step backward, he muttered, “I’m clean.”

  Castrose nodded as a snicker escaped him. “We do weird shit for family. Ready for bed?”

  Eion was more interested in tapping Castrose’s ass, but he nodded anyway. “Definitely.”

  As Eion turned off the water, he saw Castrose open the door and reach for a towel. To his surprise, his human turned and wrapped it around him. Then he grabbed a second towel for himself.

  Huh. He’s got a caring gene after all. I wonder if that only extends to his brother and his mate.

  Time would tell how his human would fit into the pack.

  After drying off, Eion hung up his towel and padded naked out of the bathroom. He ignored the way his skin goose bumped. Yanking the comforter off, he balled it up.

  We’ll have to remember to stock towels in the bedroom.

  When Eion turned, he realized Castrose hadn’t followed him. He frowned, worry filling him. Carrying the soiled comforter out of the room and down the hall, Eion found Castrose picking up the quilt off the sofa that he’d been using earlier.

  Damn. Is he about to refuse to sleep with me?

  Then Castrose tossed the comforter over his shoulder and headed toward the hall. He paused next to Eion and skimmed his fingertips up his hipbone. With a grin, he flipped the tip of Eion’s flaccid penis before sauntering past him.

  Eion groaned as he rolled his eyes. Then he continued to the laundry room. After starting the washer and measuring the detergent, Eion shoved the comforter into the machine.

  Hustling back to the bedroom, Eion paused in the doorway and smiled. He stared for a few seconds, appreciating the sight before him. His mate lay sprawled on his bed, the quilt halfway up his waist, leaving his gorgeous torso on display. He had one arm flung over his head and the other resting on his stomach. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and even.

  Gods, he’s a beautiful man... and all mine. Or he will be soon.

  “Stop staring and come to bed,” Castrose ordered, cracking open his left eyelid. He used the hand on his stomach to flip up the left side of the blanket and sheet.

  More than happy to do just that, Eion rounded the bed and crawled under the covers. He eased close to Castrose, but he paused before touching him, uncertain of his receptiveness. To Eion’s pleasure, his mate slid his arm under his shoulders, then used the hold to pull him close, rolling toward Eion as he did so.

  Eion found himself the little spoon. As the shifter in the pairing, he hadn’t expected for that to happen. Still, if the position made his mate happy, Eion was fine with it.

  “Never slept with anyone before,” Castrose mumbled, his warm breath ghosting across Eion’s skin.

  Unable to help himself, Eion muttered back, “And you’ll never sleep with anyone else again.”

  Castrose grunted.

  Eion waited for more, but it wasn’t forthcoming. Instead, a moment later, Castrose’s breathing evened out, indicating that he slept.

  Smiling to himself, Eion closed his eyes as one thought flitted through his tired mind.

  That wasn’t a no.

  Chapter Nine

  Castrose woke to the smells of coffee, bacon, and something else. Rolling over, he reached for Eion, but the sheets were cool. Growling under his breath, he glared at the empty side of the bed where Eion had been when he’d drifted off to sleep.

  Even though Castrose had never slept with anyone before, he’d felt a supreme sense of satisfaction at cuddling the smaller man. He smiled as he sat up, recalling Eion’s possessive words. While he’d mentally agreed, he hadn’t voiced the thought out loud.

  As far as Castrose was concerned, there’d been no point. He’d already allowed the wolf shifter to bite his neck. That started the bonding, so that meant they were together.

  A partner. Huh.

  Castrose slung his legs over the side of the bed. Scratching his balls, he headed toward the smells. He sure hoped Eion was the source of them.

  “Which cupboard are they in again?”

  Upon hearing a voice he didn’t recognize, Castrose paused. He turned to the dresser and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. After tugging them on, he headed out of the bedroom and crept down the hall.

  Pausing at the end of the hall, Castrose pressed his back against the wall. He peered around the corner and spotted a dark-haired stranger setting plates on the table. His back was to Castrose, and he flexed his fingers. The distance was a good thirty feet, and he would have to round the counter. Could he—

  “Cass, come out and meet my brother.”

  Castrose heard Eion’s order, and his brain stalled. Just hearing his lover’s accented voice caused blood to surge south, and his prick plumped. Then he processed his words.

  Pushing away from the wall, Castrose strode into the room. “How’d you know I was there?” He spotted Eion at the stove on the other side of the bar so took a place on a stool. As he sat down, Castrose recalled what had happened on those same stools the evening before. His lips quirked up as he reached down and adjusted his hardening dick.

  Eion grinned at him over his shoulder. “Shifters have a great sense of smell and better than average hearing.” He winked before leveling a heated look at Castrose’s bare chest. “Besides, I’ll always be able to smell my mate when he enters the room.”

  Castrose nodded once, taking Eion at his word.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Eion asked as he set down the spatula and turned toward him.

  “No, thanks.” Upon seeing the way Eion’s eyebrows shot up, Castrose quickly explained, “I don’t drink it.”

  “Damn, you’re one of those?” The stranger stared at him as if Castrose had grown a se
cond head. “What do you drink then? Red Bull?”

  Castrose fixed his gaze on the dark-haired man. Considering the green eyes and features, he guessed the man was related to Eion in some way. With that in mind, he did his best to keep his tone civil when he answered.

  “No. Hot chocolate.”

  The man gaped for an instant, then snapped his mouth shut only to open it again, as if he were preparing to reply.

  “Brennan, stop giving my mate shit, or I’m gonna box your ears,” Eion stated, turning from the stove and crossing to the counter. “I gave you the keys. Be on your way.” Eion pointed toward the door. “And you bring it back without a scratch and with a full tank of gas. Get me?”

  Rolling his eyes, Brennan headed toward the door. “You’re such an ass before you’ve had two cups of coffee.”

  “You knew that when you came over this early,” Eion grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled at his brother. “You just wanted a chance to ogle my mate.”

  Brennan lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Sure.” He paused next to Castrose, holding out his hand. “Hi. I’m Brennan.” His gaze raked over Castrose’s torso in a not-so-subtle perusal. “Welcome to the family.”

  Castrose narrowed his eyes even as he took the other man’s hand. “It’s rude to check out your brother’s partner,” he stated bluntly, giving the man’s hand a perfunctory shake before releasing him as swiftly as was socially acceptable. “I’m an anti-social asshole, and even I know that.”

  Tipping his head to the side, Brennan laughed, obviously unrepentant. As he started toward the door, he winked at Castrose. “Thanks, bro!” he called, opening the door.

  As Brennan closed the door behind him, Eion hollered, “No drinking and driving, and not a goddamned scratch!” Then the door closed, and Eion heaved a sigh as he shook his head. “Sorry about that.” He focused a wry smile Castrose’s way. “He really did come here early just to ogle you. I was hoping to get him out the door before you woke up.”

  “It’s fine.” Castrose glanced toward the front of the house where he heard the roar of a motorcycle begin to fade into the distance. “Think he’ll bring it back in one piece.”